Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The patent fact is that the spending is not enough to meet the demand.

That is evidently true from HIQA reports and from the experiences of patients and of overworked staff in understaffed hospitals. Where is the sense of leadership? Where is the sense that somebody is steering this ship, that it will be all hands on deck to ensure the crisis in hospitals is addressed and that we can retain and recruit enough staff to support consultants to supply the teams that are needed to ensure the procedures can take place? When will we see the real action to address the overcrowding that continues to persist in far too many hospitals across the State? It is not just in Limerick but undoubtedly University Hospital Limerick is a particularly egregious example of understaffing, overcrowding and consequent harm to patients and staff alike.

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