Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. Although the service plan for HSE west was published last Friday, strangely enough it could not be accessed on the Internet until today. The reason is obvious when one examines it and learns of the cuts involved therein. The community in County Donegal and around Lifford in particular have learned of the announcement to close Lifford hospital and the charade of a consultation period over the next three months on which the HSE intends to embark. About what will the HSE consult? The hospital will close and that is it. Consequently, this consultation is merely to be seen to be talking to people and supposedly to be consulting the community, when everyone knows the hospital will close and the decision already has been made.

I note also that 320 fewer subvented beds will be available for elderly people in the HSE west area. In addition, 150,000 hours of home help will be lost, albeit with the same number of people being served by the home help service. There will be nowhere for those elderly people to go. As there is nowhere else available for them, Lifford hospital should be kept open and maintained in order that these people at least can have some comfort and security in their own communities. Instead, the Government will force families into paying increasing amounts to put elderly people into private nursing homes with no subvented beds. Moreover, there are great difficulties in respect of the fair deal scheme and home help is not available for such people. This is the outcome of this health plan and this is the very hospital that, as has been pointed out earlier, the Minister, Deputy Reilly, when in opposition stated would not close. He stated that this was an area that was deprived and which needed that hospital. Nevertheless, it now is evident that it will close and will be taken from that community.

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