Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy asked me about Bantry General Hospital. I met the management there last Monday. I met senior management from the South/South West Hospital Group. There is a proposal, of which the Deputy has been very supportive, to develop the rehabilitation and endoscopy facilities. Both projects have gone to the HSE and have been technically cleared. They have proceeded to the Department and are in the mix for funding with hundreds of other applications for capital developments at various hospitals throughout the country.

As the Deputy will be aware, the operating theatre in Bantry General Hospital is open for only two and a half days per week. I am very anxious to have it open for five days per week. These are the kinds of solutions required in hospitals throughout the country, not just in Bantry General Hospital. The smaller hospitals offer unique services. Bantry hospital is unique because it is the only remote rural hospital in Ireland. As the Deputy knows, it has a mixture of long-stay beds, continuing-care beds and acute beds. It is very unusual. We will continue to work with the HSE. I will continue to try to get the theatre working for more than two and half days per week and to have more surgeons down from Cork, resulting in more outreach. I will try to get the relevant services up and running. That will contribute significantly to addressing the issues in Cork University Hospital. Bantry hospital has enormous potential in this regard.