Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Last week, to mark World Parkinson's Day, a demonstration was held outside the gates of Leinster House. The people there were calling for more support and a right to access specialist care. Research clearly shows that there should be one Parkinson's nurse specialist for every 300 patients, yet in Ireland in 2019, there are only five specialist nurses for 12,000 people. Parkinson's patients are expected to travel abroad for deep brain stimulation surgery, a life-changing procedure that should be available in this country but, sadly, is not. Despite the fact that there is no cure for these people, they are not automatically eligible for the long-term illness scheme. The association itself is not in receipt of any core funding from the State.It shows that more needs to be done to assist these people suffering from this life-changing disease. The Minister for Health should be asked to look at this issue so that funding can be provided for these people.