Danny Healy-Rae: Urges PPE, Protects Home Helps and Air Ambulance
Danny Healy-Rae spoke about recent bereavements under virus restrictions, thanked frontline health staff and called for continued PPE and protection for home help services. He urged that the promised air ambulance for the southwest be kept operational and raised concerns about elderly isolation and funerals.
Sympathy for bereaved families
He expressed deep sympathy for families who have lost relatives in the last three or four weeks and described the difficulty of grieving when neighbours and friends cannot attend funerals. He gave the example of a 91-year-old man who knew he was dying and worried that no one would come to his funeral, and warned that traditional community support has been interrupted.
Praise for frontline staff and call for PPE
He thanked frontline staff - nurses, doctors, kitchen staff and cleaners - across hospitals, nursing homes and other health facilities and said they deserve every accolade. He demanded that authorities fight to provide the PPE needed to keep health services running safely.
Concern over home help services
He raised an ongoing concern about home help provision, saying many people had to fight to get home help and that withdrawing it could lead to harm or death for vulnerable people who rely on it to remain in their homes. He pleaded with the minister to ensure the service continues unchanged for elderly people, citing the county of Kerry as an example area of impact.
Air ambulance and emergency services plea
He warned that an air ambulance that had been promised for the southwest faces closure and said he had contacted the minister's office without response. He appealed for the vital service to be maintained, noting its importance for cardiac events, strokes and other emergencies in remote areas.
Comments on supplies and government action
He thanked the government for its work and acknowledged international sourcing of PPE, noting a remark about thanking China for equipment while also referencing the virus's origin. He closed by urging continued action to protect vulnerable people and health services during the crisis.
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Thank you very much, Cahillac. I too want to sympathise with all those who have lost family members over the last three or four weeks and to whatever reason they lost their family members because it's been a very difficult time for those people in recent times because nobody can help them or assist them or agree with them. or come to the funeral or were able to go to the funeral of the people that they lost. And I'll just give you an example of one 91-year-old man who knew he was dying. And he said, God damn it, he said to his son, there'll be no neighbour or no one coming to the funeral and as soon as bothered to this day about it because he was a grand man and it's hot in many, people and people and families that nobody can help them to grieve or stop the grieving process like was tradition in Kelly and I'm sure all around the country where neighbours went and helped families to grieve and to survive. And I sympathise with all of those. I want to thank all the frontline staff, the nurses, doctors, kitchen and working staff and cleaners who are vital in all our health care facilities. Whether it is hospitals, whether it is hospitals, whether it is hospitals, wherever it is, our nursing homes, right around our county, all those involved deserve any accolade that we can give them and to ensure that we will fight for whatever PPE that they need to keep our health services going. I have a few things as well as Moitla, I have to raise the matter of home helps as well because anyone that was here in the last door will know that was one of my constant things that I was on about day after day was home help for people to let them stay in their homes for as long ever as possible. And I can assure you, Minister, that anyone that has home help had to fight for to get it and it isn't the case that some people had it and that they shouldn't have it because they were entitled it and they have it and I'm asking you to let it to them please and it's a case of robbing pizza to pay Paul because these people can die of another reason in their own homes if they don't have the home help coming into them. That's what I'm asking and I'm begging you please to do something to ensure that this action is stopped, art has changed and that's why it is valuable for us to be able to come in here today and raise this issue which is so important to elderly people around the county of Kerry. And I'll just take another example and I'll just take another example and I'll just take another example of why it is so important. You have a 72-year-old man, he was accosted the other day going into the shop by some nosy partner who said you shouldn't be out getting your messages. I mean we can't trap elderly people entirely and isolate them entirely. I have to raise the issue of the air ambulance that was promised in the program for government for the southwest of our country. It's going to be closing down tomorrow evening because of phones. I was on to Minister Harris's office in early in March and I've had nothing back from since then I've been in contact with the Tarnashter's office. And I'm begging and imploring to keep this vital service going because we have people that do manifest with cardiac failure and stroke and different illnesses and they're far away from where they have to go and their ambulance is vital. I suppose I have to thank the government and especially Tony Holden for the massive work that he has been doing and that the government has been doing. And I see where the T-shirts thanked the Chinese for the stuff that we need, the PPE stuff that we need. And I just want to say I would thank the Chinese as well if they had kept their virus. And we will need the loans and equipment that we're looking for now if that had happened. Thanks, Stephanie. Move on to the final.
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