Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the Department is very cognisant that some of the hospitals have significant clinical links built up with teaching hospitals based on the existing groups. A huge amount of energy and work has gone into making the services what they are in some of these hospitals. There is a fear in some that they may be aligned to different groups irrespective of the CHO area but they have established strong clinical links, whereby if a patient is admitted to Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, which is in my constituency, digital scans can be sent to consultants in Dublin to be examined and have decisions made based on them.