Danny Healy-Rae on children's mask exemptions and hospital visits
Danny Healy-Rae raised concerns about school mask rules and difficulties parents face obtaining GP exemption letters. He also pressed the minister to establish safe ways for families to visit sick relatives in hospitals and nursing homes.
Mask exemption difficulties
Danny Healy-Rae told the minister that many parents in Kerry cannot get exemption letters from GPs for children who cannot wear masks. He said doctors in Kerry are extremely busy, appointments can take up to a week, and some GPs will not provide exemption letters for conditions such as asthma or following recent COVID infection.
Education requirement and timing problems
Danny Healy-Rae cited the Minister for Education's radio statement that children over nine cannot attend school unless they wear a mask or present an exemption letter, and warned this creates a timing problem for families. He argued an understanding must be reached with GPs so children are not disenfranchised and both children's health and their need for education are recognised.
GP workload and professional concerns
He emphasised that GPs are professional and are being asked to respond to requests they sometimes first hear about in the media, which is unfair to those doctors and their other patients. He called for direction and co-ordination so GPs can manage exemption requests without disrupting care for elderly or sick patients.
Hospital and nursing home visiting
Danny Healy-Rae urged the minister to find exceptional ways to allow families to visit sick relatives, suggesting visitors could be equipped similarly to nurses. He highlighted the injustice of elderly people being sick or dying without family visits and called for safe visiting arrangements to be put in place.
Call for ministerial reply
He told the minister he would be watching and listening to the replies, and said the issues of mask exemptions and visiting arrangements must be addressed promptly to protect both health and access to care.
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Cahillic, thanks for the opportunity. Minister, I suppose the first thing I need to raise with you is masks that have been ordained for children in schools and there are a lot of parents very hot and concerned because even yesterday morning and this morning again there are many mothers saying they can't get it. the exemption letter from their doctors. As you may know doctors in Kerry are very busy and there are even elderly people waiting for appointments, people that are sick and it takes over a week, it can take anything up to a week to see a doctor if we have an ailment in Kerry. Many of our GPs are extremely busy and they won't give a letter of exemption to a child not to have to wear a mask because of the ailments of asthma and all the other things and even one child that had COVID a number of weeks ago, the Minister and the Minister is listening and I suppose I have no business talking. Just to clarify, without respect to the W, we are actually discussing exactly the point you have raised so we can give you the best possible answer. All right, Minister, but it is very serious and there is a problem and he hasn't spoken to the GPs or no one has given them direction. That's what I'm being told. And they are only hearing about these requests on the radio, on the media, on the television or whatever and that's not fair to that profession. They are professional people and they are doing a professional job and they are to the pin of their colour to see after their communities and to see after sick people. And the Minister for Education has said clearly yesterday on Radio Kerry that children over nine years of age can't go into school unless they are wearing a mask or unless they have a letter of exemption. Now, that's where the trouble is, Minister, they are not able to get the letter of exemption and if they will get it after time, they will get it in time, but it will take time and days to get it. So, an understanding has to be arrived at with the GPs to ensure that children and parents are not disenfranchised because children's health are first and priority and that has to be prioritised but their need for education has to be recognised as well. Now, Minister, I'm in a spot. I wanted to raise more things and maybe they are raised already but I suppose the one thing that I don't think has been raised by the other people this morning is I want some method to ensure that families can go into hospitals and into nursing homes to visit their sick relatives because many elderly people. Because many elderly people have died and after giving a number of weeks in hospitals and nursing homes and no visitors. There must be some way that visitors can dress up the same as the nurses and go in and there must be some. There must be exceptional ways made for them to go in to see the people that are sick or in nursing homes or in hospitals. That has to be done, Minister. It is very unfair that people who give their lives to this country and brought us to where we are, that they die alone or are sick alone or are in nursing homes alone. I don't want visitors. I don't want visitors. I don't want it to arrive that we arrive at that situation because that's very unfair and these people. Look, Minister, I have to let you do that and I'll be watching. I'll be listening to your replies. Thank you very much.
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