Marie Louise O'Donnell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is packed - it is a city of the frail, the feeble and the very unwell - and accident and emergency departments are like that. A man called Stephen Wilson, who is an advanced paramedic within the ambulance service, was outstanding. Another man called Thomas Chirayath from Kerala, a healthcare assistant, was also outstanding, as was a man called David Kelly, who was given an award for heroism for his ability as an advanced ambulance paramedic who tried to save a child’s life . The child unfortunately died but the mother of that child recommended him for this award, which he received from the people of Dublin.It was not so much even that - particularly as I did not know any of it until later - it was just the care and attention in a city with a lot of people of all ages who are very unwell. I just cannot say enough about it, and also about the health care assistants. I keep talking about this because health care assistants do everything in between the doctors and the consultants. They are outstanding. They come from all over the world to work here. They are happy to do so, to have lives here and tend to us, and we still will not give them a critical skills facility, or a proper trajectory and proper conditions in respect of their jobs in order that they can remain. We need to look at that. It is only when one is in that situation that one is so grateful for the care of others at consultant level but also at the level of the everyday in a city of the feeble and of people who are very unwell. I thank those at St. Vincent's University Hospital. We should remember the good things that happen every day in this country and the good health people enjoy. We should also remember the Sisters of Charity who built the hospital.