Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue and thereby providing the opportunity to discuss this matter in the House. The fundamental principles of good clinical practice in sensitive policy issues are non-discriminatory decision making, advanced care planning and assessment of the balance of benefit and harm. The Covid-19 pandemic presents new challenges in making advanced care plans and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation decision making.

The Senator has made two good points at the start. An information campaign would be hugely important. I will make a suggestion because this is an area that needs more discussion and we will not be able to solve it in eight minutes in this House. It might be worth writing to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health to suggest it takes a look at the issue. It is only when a family is in that situation that they realise there is something on a file they are not comfortable with. I welcome the fact the Senator has raised the issue and I will bring it back to the Minister for Health and raise the Senator's concerns.