Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, received a letter two weeks ago from almost 80 GPs in County Donegal and a letter last week from consultants in Letterkenny University Hospital in Donegal calling for urgent action in the emergency department at Letterkenny University Hospital. In the letters, GPs and consultants warn of a service collapse and call on the Minister and senior officials to step in and carry out an external review of the emergency department, with an action plan put in place regarding access to the emergency department and acute services.

Letterkenny University Hospital is in crisis. Over the past few weeks, patients have been forced to wait for more than 24 hours and, in many cases, 36 to 48 hours to be seen. There are no seats available for those waiting in the emergency department it is so crowded. There is a serious risk to patients in Donegal arising from deteriorating conditions in the emergency department and a lack of hospital resources. Letterkenny University Hospital is one of the busiest hospitals in the State, yet it gets far less funding per patient than most other hospitals. This is yet another sign of Donegal being ignored and under-resourced. It cannot be ignored and it requires urgent action from the Government.

The Minister has said there is a recruitment issue in Letterkenny. I once again take this opportunity to urge the Government and the HSE to collaborate with Cuba in sending doctors to Ireland to relieve pressure on Ireland's health service. Cuba has in the past provided medical services in 165 countries, with more than 605,698 employees. Cuba currently serves 59 nations, including Portugal, Italy and Sweden within the EU. The services are there and Cuba is willing to do it. All it needs is for the Government to ask. I do not believe that is too much to ask. If there are issues with recruitment, I am not sure why this solution has not been sought. Collaboration with Cuba would significantly improve conditions in Letterkenny University Hospital and the State of the healthcare system in this country overall. I have been raising this issue since June of last year but the Minister has failed to engage with me or with the Cuban ambassador on this issue, despite numerous attempts. The recruitment issue will not rectify itself. It requires thinking outside the box. If he was serious about addressing the situation in Donegal, he needs to consider this as an alternative as well.

Recruitment is only part of the solution. We also need to focus on retention. At least 88 overseas nurses and midwives have taken up roles in Letterkenny University Hospital since the beginning of last year. I will take this opportunity to express my solidarity to the migrant nurses who were outside Leinster House on Tuesday calling for family reunification as many are separated from their spouses and children due to their low pay not meeting visa conditions. They provide a service to the country and they should not be punished for it. They deserve pay parity with HSE workers to bring them above the visa threshold.

What will the Tánaiste do to address recruitment and retention issues in Letterkenny University Hospital to allow the fourth busiest accident and emergency department in the State to respond to the needs of the community once and for all?

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