Brendan Smith calls for all-Ireland COVID response for border areas
Brendan Smith spoke on COVID-19 policy, urging an all-Ireland approach and stronger measures for border communities. He called for a compatible tracing app between the HSE and the NHS, an investigation into high local infection rates in Cavan and Monaghan, and quicker restoration of hospital and screening services.
All-Ireland coordination
Brendan Smith welcomed a memorandum of understanding between the health departments North and South and said it must be built upon. He urged that more measures be implemented at sector level through the North-South Ministerial Council to underline the value of health and the importance of an all-island approach across daily life.
Tracing and cross-border cooperation
He reiterated the need for a compatible tracing system linking the HSE and the NHS to support contact tracing and management of increased movement of persons, goods and services as the economy reopens north and south.
Local infection rates and call for investigation
Brendan Smith reported that Cavan has recorded the highest incidence of COVID per head of population and Monaghan the third highest, a trend since the third week of April. He contrasted these rates with lower incidence in Waterford and Wexford and called for public health officials to investigate the reasons, saying he would pursue the matter through parliamentary questions and other debates.
Hospital capacity and restoration of services
He urged faster use of both public and private hospital capacity, echoing points made by Deputies Donnelly and Butler, and warned clinicians are concerned that patients needing assessments or treatment have been delayed. He welcomed reference to cancer screening services and asked the minister for a clear timeframe to restore services while balancing capacity for COVID patients.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Reverend Brendan Smith, Thank you very much, Cahirleach. I wish again to emphasise my very strong belief that we need to address the COVID-19 pandemic issues to the greatest possible extent on an all Ireland basis. Having a memorandum of understanding between the health departments, North and South is welcome and essential and needs to be built upon. Perhaps we need more measures to be implemented at sector level through the North-South Ministerial Council and give out a clear message of the value of the health of the health department. and importance of the all-island approach across different areas of our daily lives. The gradual reopening of the economy north and south, which we all will welcome, will entail more movement of persons, goods and services with attendant risks. In border areas such as Cavan Monaghan, my own constituency, the people there need to be assured of the similarity of approaches and the implementation of strong measures north and south to deal with this pandemic for the benefit of all on this island. That message could help to emphasise the continued need for a prudent and diligent approach. I raised previously the need for a compatible app system for tracing purposes north and south between our HSE and the NHS. For some weeks Cavan unfortunately has recorded the highest incidence of Covid per head of population and Monaghan the third highest. That has been a trend since the third week of April and continues presently. There is a considerable difference in the incident rates between my constituency and the two counties with the lowest rates namely Waterford and Wexford. An investigation I believe, and I call for it through parliamentary questions minister and in other debates, an investigation should be carried out by public health officials to determine the reasons for the rates of virus occurring in the Cavan Monaghan area. If particular deficiencies are identified in healthcare provision in this area then I would appeal to the minister to ensure that the necessary resources are provided to the public and private healthcare providers to address such deficiencies. I appreciate the good reasons for the cancellation of routine hospital work at the onset of this pandemic. With more speed now we need to see both public and private hospital capacity being put to much greater use, as referred to by both of my colleagues, Deputies Donnelly and Butler. I spoke to clinicians minister who are very concerned that they have been unable to attend to patients who need assessments or treatment. They believe very strongly that the balance between increasing very substantially hospital capacity and retaining a necessary complement of beds for COVID patients can be balanced and again I welcome your reference to the cancer screening services but we need a time frame for all of those services being restored. Thank you, Cancorda.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
