Sinn Féin Deputy Pearse Doherty has repeated his criticism of the Government over its ‘bare-faced lies’ on the future of St Joseph’s and Ramelton Community Hospitals.
Speaking to Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People Jim Daly, Deputy Doherty raised the issued of the government’s failure to approve the capital funding required to redevelopment St Joseph’s and Ramelton Community Hospitals.
The Donegal T.D. accused the government of acting in ‘bad faith’ and of ‘drip-feeding misinformation’ to both communities over the projects before condemning the fact that neither hospital has yet been allocated funding under the HSE Capital Plan.
He criticised the HSE of “squandering money” on minor upgrades in at Ramelton and Stranorlar to ensure both units adhere to HIQA standards by 2021, while funding that was promised for their redevelopment has not materialised.
Speaking in the Dáil yesterday, Pearse Doherty TD said: “Minister Daly you sat with myself and other Deputies as well as the hospitals committee members who travelled a long distance from Donegal to come to the Oireachtas on 7th November last and you told us, along with Department officials, that these projects were going ahead.
“You told us that there would be detailed design for these projects by 2019 and they would go to planning in early 2020 and that there would need to be sequencing in terms of patient transferring to Letterkenny while these works were ongoing – yet that is not happening.
“Your promise has been broken and there is deep suspicion in the communities involved over what government has told them because of this and because you have not given the go ahead for these projects to commence.”
Following the heated debate, Deputy Doherty is now urging the Government to change tack and to immediately sanction the finance required to proceed with the redevelopment plans and secure the long term future of the hospitals.
Tags: