Sinn Féin TDs for Donegal, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Pearse Doherty, have pledged their full support to a campaign by 171 doctors to have a surgical hub located at the hospital.
Senior doctors from Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) and local GPs are demanding an urgent meeting with the Minister for Health over the exclusion of LUH from the Surgical Hub plan.
Despite being the sole hospital serving the entire county of Donegal, LUH has been excluded from consideration as the location for the new surgical hub for the northwest, planned by the HSE. Instead, Sligo University Hospital (SUH) has been put forward as the sole preferred option – a decision the clinicians call “flawed, unjustified, and deeply damaging.”
In a letter to local media, doctors say the HSE’s proposal for an ambulatory care centre in LUH is an inadequate substitute, lacking ring-fenced funding, staffing plans, or timelines.
“Without adequate surgical resources, we simply cannot attract or retain the consultants we need. This decision risks the future of general surgery in Donegal and the long-term viability of LUH as a Model 3 hospital,” said Mr Michael Sugrue, Consultant General Surgeon at LUH.
Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn said: “This is an outrageous decision and is typical of the neglect that the people of Donegal have faced for too long.
“Letterkenny University Hospital services a much larger population and a much higher number of patients than Sligo University Hospital.
“The message from our doctors in their letter to the Minister for Health is clear. The people of Donegal will not accept second best anymore when it comes to our healthcare.
“At a recent meeting Donegal TDs and Councillors made it clear to the senior management of the HSE in the West and Northwest that there must be a surgical hub located at Letterkenny University Hospital. If they will not listen, then the Minister for Health must intervene.”
Deputy Pearse Doherty said: “This could not be more serious. The future of surgical services and the ability to operate an emergency department at LUH is at stake.
“If the surgical hub for the entire northwest is located at SUH, it will be a disaster for our major Donegal hospital. This cannot be allowed to happen!
“The fact that 171 doctors have put their names to this letter says it all. The Minister for Health must ensure that our Donegal people have equality in health care and that LUH is not left behind. We need to start to reverse the years of neglect.
“There must be a surgical hub located in Donegal and it must happen as soon as possible.”
