Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Gloster and the team. I will begin by touching on two issues that I have raised on numerous occasions and which, thankfully, have seen progress The first is the Clifden district hospital, which has reopened. I would like to acknowledge that and thank the HSE for continuing to push that. Hopefully, it will remain open but I expect it will. The second issue is the extension of the Westdoc service to Moycullen and Oughterard GPs, which I also acknowledge.

On 15 May, I raised the issue of a lack of neurological services in Mayo hospital when members the Neurological Alliance of Ireland presented to this committee. The lack of neurology cover for Mayo University Hospital results in patients having to travel by ambulance to either Galway or Sligo for assessment or treatment. They then undergo a return journey, having been seen. Some of these patients, as one would expect, are very ill and having to take such a long journey is not easy for them. In addition, neurology services in Galway are under pressure and the waiting lists are considerable. Are there plans to provide neurological services in Castlebar? I understand that under the 2016 model of care report, all model 3 hospitals should have neurological cover. Eight years after that report, Mayo still does not have them.