Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will hopefully come back in later, but will ask the Minister a final question. I have long been speaking about Ennis General Hospital and elective surgeries being suspended there for ten weeks. Surgery took place on perhaps four days in ten weeks. The theatre nurses, who are highly skilled, were redeployed to other functions in general medical wards. This is not personal, but the consultants are on public-only contracts and when operations are not taking place they do not have a private list to go to. My understanding is that they are currently on leave. Again, that is such a valuable skill set that is lying idle somewhere. It is so wrong. I know this protocol came in to ease pressure in UHL, but it has been disproportionate in the mid-west. Nenagh Hospital is up and running but we do not know where we are with Ennis, which is hit and miss. Could the Minister clarify the situation and outline the possible plans to expand hours in Ennis from next week onwards? Could he give a small bit of detail on that? I will come in with further questions later.