Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Today, Daffodil Day, is important. In a normal scenario, we would be seeing daffodils sold on every street corner. This day is an important day for society. We all have stories we could tell about what the Irish Cancer Society has done for our families and how great a support it has been to them. I would like to mention my brother Ger, who died of skin cancer at the age of 37. The Irish Cancer Society was a great support at the time and the nurses in particular were just amazing. It is important that we acknowledge their work and do our best to contribute today in these unusual circumstances.

We will have to start planning for what the healthcare system will be like when we move away from the Covid-19 crisis. We have many issues that need to be addressed. The backlogs and waiting lists are matters we have to start talking about now. Mental health will be major issue in both rural and urban areas. We need to start putting in place a strategy to work through this crisis and determine how the healthcare system will be able to provide for society.

During the week, I came across a case involving speech therapy for a three-year-old child. The individual is literally on Zoom calls for six weeks and then put at the back of the list again. He or she must start all over again. Trying to do speech therapy with a three-year-old child on a Zoom call is an unusual task, to say the very least. The staff are trying, however. They really are and they are doing their best but we really need to focus on determining the plan for the next 18 months so we will have all the services. There is a great need for the services because of the unfortunate crisis we are fighting.