The government and Health Service Executive (HSE) have been slammed over what has been described as their ‘throwing good money after bad’.
Pearse Doherty was commenting after it was confirmed over the weekend that the HSE has still not received formal approval for the capital funding required to redevelop both St Joseph’s and Ramelton Community Hospitals.
It is now understood that hundreds of thousands of euro will now be spent carrying out minor refurbishments and upgrades in order to ensure that both facilities can comply with HIQA standards for older person services.
“At a meeting of elected representatives and the HSE held on Friday last, it was confirmed that the necessary formal approvals required in order to proceed with the long-awaited St Joseph’s and Ramelton Community Hospitals projects have still not been given,” Doherty said.
“This means that, in the absence of the capital funding needed to finance both these builds, then it is highly unlikely that construction will commence in the short term.
“Instead, the HSE will now spend some hundreds of thousands of euro on minor upgrades and refurbishment works at both units in order to bring them up to an acceptable standard and to deal with compliance issues concerning HIQA standards, including constructing en-suite rooms and other measures to ensure greater privacy and dignity of patients.
“This is yet another example of government throwing good money after bad on sticking plaster solutions instead of doing what they should have done long ago which is making the capital funding available to deliver these badly needed projects at both hospitals,” he added.
“This ridiculous situation comes despite repeated assurances from the Government that they are fully committed to the retention of long term residential care at St Joseph’s and Ramelton Community Hospitals, yet their inaction tells a different story.
“Instead, patients and their loved ones, as well as hospital staff and the wider communities of Stranorlar and Ramelton have been strung along and lied to by Fine Gael Ministers time and time again,” Doherty said.
“This is simply not good enough and I fully intend on raising the issue of both hospitals with the Minister this week in the Dáil before the summer recess because clearly, this government is still failing to see the serious consequences their indifference is having on all those who depend on these vital services.”