Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

There should not be a choice between one and the other. There should not be a choice between St. Anne's community nursing unit and Clifden District Hospital. When staff numbers are down in a large hospital like University Hospital Galway or Merlin Park it is not ideal but it can be absorbed. However, when staff are down in a small hospital like the one we have in Connemara the hospital closes. This is an ongoing issue. There does not seem to be any sustainable solution to this, so people do not have confidence that there will be a solution. There needs to be a reprioritisation. It is certainly at the heart of Sláintecare that we have local services for local people so that people are not travelling. There needs to be a reprioritisation, so that staffing is prioritised for these local hospitals and local services.