Health Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-30
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Mattie McGrath (IND), Tipperary South

To read out that statement is totally out of touch with the situation. The figures are stark. Many of us are directing elderly people to Belfast to get cataracts done - the Belfast or Blind bus. I have eye issues. I understand how difficult it is. We are not even talking about the 500 adults waiting. It is pathetic that three years on, with Dr. Hillary giving a year's notice and with plenty of time that this position is still not filled. Something else is going on.
I demand that we use the private resources that are out there, as Deputy Michael Murphy said, to deal with our youngest and brightest people and give them a fair chance in life. We have Children First legislation and everything else here. These are basic needs that are being deprived to children in south Tipperary. It is not acceptable. The reply the Minister of State read out here today is totally unacceptable into the third year of this crisis. He talks about exploring options. There must be an emergency blitz. It is not correct to say that they are being dealt with in Waterford. They are not.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-30/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-30