Kildare TD backs motion to ‘stop forced emigration of doctors, nurses and midwives’

A TD based in County Kildare has backed her party's motion to ‘stop the forced emigration of doctors, nurses and midwives’ due to the cost-of-living crisis.

Sinn Féin TD Réada Cronin is calling on all North Kildare TDs to back her party's Dáil motion this week.

According to Ms Cronin, the motion features 'a comprehensive package to ban rent increases for the next three years, put a month’s rent back in renters’ pockets, pressure the government to increase, immediately, its social and affordable housing targets.'

"It also features a job’s guarantee for healthcare graduates: it mandates the government to move, immediately, to support over-worked GPs locally, expand out-of-hours care, expand the remit of pharmacies and so take the pressure off the Emergency Department at Naas General Hospital," she explained.

"Our health service is haemorrhaging young nurses, doctors, midwives and other key health professionals because the government can’t or won’t get a hand on the crises of housing and cost of living; crises that are driving them away and keeping them away, when they would love to be home."

Réada Cronin TD. File Pic

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She also commended the work of staff in Naas General Hospital, adding: "We see the fantastic work they do no matter how many trolleys, no matter how over-worked and under-staffed, no matter how much pressure they are under.

"But they get nothing from the Government in return when it comes to their most basic need of housing and the fact their wages can’t cope with the spiraling cost of living."

Ms Cronin said that, in government, SF 'would train and retain more key frontline staff and fix the housing crisis to make sure these workers could stay at home or come home.'

She also said: "There is a huge difference between wanting to emigrate and needing to emigrate, and with the record waiting lists, we need our highly-qualified people at home if that is where they wish to be."

"The government’s health and housing shambles must end."