Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

We appreciate the vital role Covid testing centres play in the ongoing efforts to suppress the virus. Perhaps less is known, understood or appreciated of the vital role played by the Covid assessment hubs. They were opened throughout the country at the start of the pandemic to examine and assess patients, with possible Covid illness, in a safe and timely manner. GPs can refer patients with respiratory symptoms to assessment hubs that help GPs to keep their already busy surgeries as Covid-free as possible, as surgeries do not have the required cleaning and other capacities. Moreover, bringing Covid cases into surgeries would clearly endanger others.

Covid assessment hubs keep normal GP business continuing as safely as possible. They ensure that hospital emergency departments are kept for cases that justify and need hospital management, and further investigation, thus allowing most Covid cases to be managed safely in the community. Unfortunately, at present all Covid assessment hubs medically only assess 16-year-olds and over. We need a similar safe facility for children, that is, the cohort of persons who are under 16 years of age. I call on the Minister for Health to consider providing Covid hubs to assess children under 16 years, especially given the circumstances of, thankfully, all schools re-opening. In addition, with the arrival of the winter flu season, hubs would be an invaluable help to ensure that as many children as possible who have respiratory symptoms are managed safely and in a timely manner.