The Minister for Health has been challenged to sort out the crisis at Letterkenny University Hospital.
Minister Simon Harris will pay an official visit to the hospital on Monday next.
Now Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher has called on him to directly deal with the hospital’s issues during his visit.
The Fianna Fail TD has publically called on the Minister to deal with the ongoing crises of overcrowding, capacity protocols, cancelled procedures, operations, the lack of a second breast check surgeon, lack of health services at the hospital.
He said “The Minister previously visited the Hospital some months ago, but in the intervening period has done nothing and taken no direct action to alleviate the ongoing problems and crises which we witness almost on a daily and weekly basis within the hospital.”
The Minister and his senior HSE officials will be attending the launch of the Digital Medical Academy in the Hospital on Monday.
Deputy Gallagher said he welcomed the launch of the academy but stressed “It would be wrong of me not to highlight the crises within Letterkenny Hospital, which is escalating to breaking point, with routine capacity issues in the Emergency Department and services within the hospital deteriorating on a weekly basis over the past number of months.”
He added that this Health Minister and previous Ministers of Health since 2010 have allowed services within Letterkenny University Hospital to hit rock bottom.
He fumed “We have a crises of services and a crises of management within the Hospital. On the 25th January 2016 former Health Minister Leo Varadkar confirmed the appointment of a second Consultant Breast Surgeon for the Hospital, to date no appointment has been made – in fact I am of the opinion the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) are actively blocking the appointment of the second surgeon.
“The LUH Symptomatic Breast Service is under considerable pressure at present with the number of patients attending routinely for treatment and care, the Minister must visit the Oncology Unit in Letterkenny on Monday. At present many Donegal Patients are being required to travel long distances due to capacity issues and the lack of a second Breast check Surgeon appointment in the Hospital, some of these patients being referred end up on a waiting list of another Hospital rather than being seen to.”
He concluded by publicly calling on the Health Minister Simon Harris and the Government to stop stalling, dallying and procrastinating in relation to Letterkenny University Hospital and deal once and for all with the lack of resources, the pressure under which services and hospital staff are preforming under, the lack of services and staff and the ineffective management of the Hospital at present by the HSE.
“We are at a state of crises in relation to Letterkenny Hospital and ignoring it will not make it go away. Without Government intervention, genuine support, increased resources, additional staff and the Minister to take personal charge of this crises we will have dire consequences in our health services within Donegal in the months ahead,” concluded Pat the Cope.
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