Community X-ray facilities in Donegal town and Killybegs will be open two days per week from next month.
Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, has welcomed the news but said the service never should have been curtailed.
Deputy Pringle said: “The HSE must plan better to ensure these services can continue at full strength.”
In response to a representation from Deputy Pringle to the Minister for Health, the HSE said normal hours of operation for community X-ray facilities in Donegal include: Monday – Thursday at Donegal town/Killybegs Community X-ray departments; Monday – Friday at Dungloe Community X-ray; and Monday, Thursday and Friday at Carndonagh Community X-ray. The HSE said the Ballyshannon X-ray service is open two days per week in line with approved funding.
The Donegal and Killybegs X-ray facilities are currently open one day each per week. The HSE said staff are currently working a longer day in each location and the waiting list was cleared as of December 23rd, 2021.
From March 5th, Donegal and Killybegs will again open two days each, every week, the HSE said. The HSE also said they are now appointing patients within 10 days, at the most, from their GP visit.
Deputy Pringle said: “The expansion is welcome, but these services should never have been curtailed in the first place.
“I recently called attention to the issue of long waiting lists for ophthalmology patients in Donegal and the surrounding region. The HSE must do more in terms of planning and hiring to ensure that people have timely and reliable access to the health services they need and deserve,” he said.
