International Nurses Day is about recognising the extraordinary dedication, professionalism and compassion shown every day by nurses across our health service. They are the backbone of patient care. I have seen at first hand in Mayo the incredible work nurses do every day. However, too many are working under relentless pressure in overcrowded hospitals, understaffed wards and unsafe conditions that are driving exhaustion and burnout. Successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments have failed to deliver safe staffing levels. That is the bottom line. Nurses are being asked to do more for less while patients wait longer for care and healthcare workers carry the burden of a system stretched beyond capacity. If we are serious about protecting our health service, we must invest in the workforce that sustains it. That means delivering safe staffing levels, improving pay and working conditions, and ensuring that nurses have the support and respect they deserve. We also need urgent action to recruit and retain our graduate nurses. Every year, highly trained graduate nurses leave Ireland because they cannot secure permanent posts, affordable housing or decent conditions. We continue to train nurses for export while our hospitals suffer from understaffing. As we sit here today, SIPTU members in the National Ambulance Service across the country are taking strike action. We must acknowledge the pressure facing these workers. Their concerns on staffing and working conditions deserve meaningful engagement and a fair resolution. On International Nurses Day, Sinn Féin stands in solidarity with our nurses, our front-line healthcare workers and our ambulance workers. We value their incredible work and dedicated service, and we demand the recognition from the Government that all healthcare workers deserve.

Sentiment score: 0.16