Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Government has been in existence for more than 100 days but this is the first time I have had the opportunity to congratulate the Minister of State and wish her well in her new role. It may be her first time in this House. She is very welcome. At the time this Government was being formed, people were crying out for a Government. Fine Gael might not be the best friend of the Minister of State's party, although it is certainly its most competitive friend. However, party differences were set aside. Many would not step up to form a Government but the coalition parties put people before politics. I hope history will be kind to the bravery of Fianna Fáil's membership in providing stability in the teeth of a pandemic. I am sure it will.

I broadly welcome the plan the Government has outlined in recent days. I have three concerns, which I hope the Minister of State will take on board. The first is the problem which many doctors and pharmacists have reported, that is, a shortage of the flu vaccine. It is a shame that this winter, of all winters, many practitioners are crying out for enough doses for their patients. They are perplexed and worried. They have received some supplies so far, but nothing like the amount required. Perhaps a better explanation is due to those practitioners and their patients. If there is a worldwide shortage I ask the Minister of State to say so. Did this issue arise because the HSE did not order the vaccine in time? This is not necessarily a criticism of the Minister of State.

My second concern pertains to the Covid-19 assessment hubs. We know about testing centres, but the assessment hubs play a vital role after a full consultation with a GP. Many cases may not justify referral to an emergency department for further medical examination. As such, we set up assessment hubs for those with respiratory symptoms at the beginning of the pandemic. However, as I said in the House last week, we do not have any similar facility for those under the age of 16. For those over 16 a third option exists, a safe place for further examination which cannot be carried out in a GP's surgery for obvious reasons, namely, the need for intensive cleaning and concerns about the safety of patients and medical practitioners. I worry that large numbers of possibly unnecessary referrals will be made to paediatric emergency departments because there is no such facility for children.

The third concern, which the Minister of State might take on board in due course, relates to beds in intensive care units, ICUs. Before Covid-19 we had 225 such beds. In April, at the peak of the first wave, we had approximately 354 beds. I am open to correction on that point. Those included makeshift beds in theatre recovery areas. I understand that we now have 280 fully staffed beds. In 2009 the HSE said that 579 ICU beds were required. We are often just a little bit behind England, where hospital admissions have increased by 25%. That figure does not refer to ICU admissions. I am concerned that we do not have enough fully staffed ICU beds to ratchet up our response as necessary. I hope the Minister of State can provide reassurance on that point. I am concerned about overcrowding due to the toxic combination of the winter flu season and the challenge of Covid-19.Have we a sufficient number of ICU beds?

Overall, I welcome this significant injection of moneys. The Government is obviously taking this crisis very seriously and putting people's health first, which is only right and proper, and of paramount importance to us all.

I would be very grateful if the Minister of State took on board all of the issues that I have raised.