David Cullinane

These community waiting lists are on top of almost one million people already waiting for care in our acute hospital.

This cannot become another HSE review that produces a report while the underlying problems remain.

The HSE itself is now acknowledging serious concerns being raised by staff about bullying, harassment, discrimination and levels of trust within the organisation.

The current system is unfair and inconsistent. We need one national policy. The Government should fund a phased end to hospital parking charges.

Patients and families are paying the price. No one chooses cancer, dialysis or a long hospital stay. The fact is that these charges punish people for being sick. Parents visiting sick children, carers and people with disabilities are being…

Official figures I have received show that, of this overall group, some patients are waiting more than 709 weeks for an outpatient appointment.

More than 200,000 people are currently waiting for some form of outpatient appointment in hospitals across Ireland.

When a woman is certain that this is what she wants, it allows her to make that decision for herself in her own time, about her own pregnancy without a mandatory delay.

No one should be rushed or forced into making a decision about an abortion.

Women should have access to abortion services on the basis of their own choice