The health service is “on its knees” and has been “for many years now”, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said.
Ms McDonald said the crisis has become “the norm” on the Government’s watch and that it is “the new normal” that patients and healthcare staff are “subjected to every day”.
The Dublin Central TD was speaking during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil on Wednesday, as the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) began its annual delegate conference in Killarney.
[ Patient safety routinely compromised in healthcare settings, INMO survey suggestsOpens in new window ]
Ms McDonald noted that a survey of nurses and midwives found three out of four had considered leaving their work area over the last month.
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The Sinn Féin leader asked was it “any wonder given the pressure they are under” and that people at their most vulnerable were being “left on trolleys languishing on waiting lists and often missing crucial care”.
“This hasn’t happened by accident but because of Government failure to sufficiently invest in healthcare capacity and staffing over the last decade,” she said.
“The response of Government has consistently been far too slow, often big on promises and very short on delivery.”
Ms McDonald added that healthcare staff were “at their wits’ end” and have been “crying out for support” while many felt abandoned and let down by Government.
She said her party had been calling “for some time” for a multi-annual capacity expansion plan.
In response, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said there were too many patients waiting to see a specialist or get a procedure they needed.
Mr Varadkar said the State had a “chronic problem of emergency department overcrowding” but that there were “many very good things about our health service too”.
“We have now in Ireland the longest life expectancy in the European Union,” he said.
The Fine Gael leader said the Government was continuing to improve terms, conditions and pay for healthcare staff, including doctors and nurses.
“We have a pay deal which was ratified by a large majority, by the nursing unions, and we will no doubt begin discussions on a further pay deal to come into place later on this year,” he said.
Mr Varadkar also said waiting times were falling and would fall further while there were improvements being made around affordability, such as free contraception, expanding GP visit cards and funding for IVF.
“We have more people working in our public health service than ever was the case before and that includes about 6,000 more doctors, nurses and midwives since this Government came to office,” he added.
“We have a very real challenge recruiting and retaining staff, but we’re increasing the number of staff that we have, including frontline staff, like doctors, nurses, and midwives every year.”
