Healthcare workers 'abandoned' during schools closures, committee told

Nurses and doctors warn burnout and shortages are impacting patient care 

INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha sharply criticised the vaccine rollout, saying the initial doses for healthcare workers were not sent out in an organised manner, and did not focus on known hotspots for Covid-19 transmission. File picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Healthcare workers with children were abandoned when schools were closed, the Oireachtas Health Committee was told on Tuesday, as failures in the vaccine roll-out were also highlighted by nurses’ and doctors’ unions.

The impact of staff shortages for patients has been laid bare by the pandemic, the committee heard from the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) and the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA).