Paddy McHugh (Galway East, Independent)

I thank you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, for allowing me to raise this issue. I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Mr. Tim O'Malley.

I have sought this debate in an attempt to move forward the position concerning Tuam health campus. The hospital in Tuam was closed on 6 April 2001. While it functioned as a hospital until the day it closed, it has not been utilised since for the delivery of health services to people in the catchment area, which comprises north-east Galway, south Mayo and west Roscommon. That was the area it serviced while it functioned as a hospital and that is the same area that is being deprived of proper health care services because it remains closed.

The saga has continued for three years since the former Minister for Health and Children made money available to purchase the Grove Hospital in Tuam, which was being disposed of by the Bon Secours sisters. Unfortunately, that was the end of the action as far as the Government was concerned. Public money amounting to approximately €4 million was expended on the purchase but that asset, purchased with public money, has been allowed remain idle and deteriorate since then. That is a terrible waste of taxpayers' money.

The Western Health Board has identified the need for a community hospital in Tuam and has prepared a planning brief which identifies the need for a community hospital comprising 60 beds in addition to X-ray facilities, a GP unit, day care hospital, dementia day care, mental health day care, primary care unit, an ambulance base and a regional child and family care training centre. That planning brief was submitted to the Department of Health and Children on 8 October 2002 and has been on the Minister's desk since then. During that time nothing has happened. The blame for the inaction lies at the Government's door because the Taoiseach gave a guarantee that the Government would provide a hospital in Tuam. That guarantee was underpinned by a similar assurance from the former Minister for Health and Children to the effect that a hospital would be provided in Tuam. It is now past time for those commitments to be honoured and approval to be given to the Tuam health campus project which encompasses a community hospital.

Since the Western Health Board made its submission to the Minister for Health and Children the case for a hospital in Tuam has been further supported by the national spatial strategy. Under that strategy Tuam is designated as a hub town, the only town in County Galway to receive such designation. The strategy outlines the characteristics of a hub town as including a local or regional hospital. This is an example of a national strategy supporting the case for a hospital in Tuam.

Over a year has passed since the strategy was published and it is time for the Government to give expression to this national policy and its associated aspirations by giving approval to the Tuam hospital project. In recent months the western regional authority published a document entitled Regional Planning Guidelines for the West Region, which identifies the need for the provision of health care services in Tuam, to service the catchment area of north-east Galway, south Mayo and west Roscommon. The case for improved health care services in Tuam was further underlined by the Western Health Board when under a pilot scheme, announced by the Minister for Health and Children regarding the delivery of primary health care, it identified two priority areas. Tuam was one of those two priority areas, the other being Erris, County Mayo. However, the Minister failed to sanction the Tuam application.

In a separate study on the siting of ambulances bases in the Western Health Board region, Tuam was again identified as a priority area for the provision of an ambulance base. This application has been submitted separately to the Minister but, regrettably, the proposal has not been approved to date.

I am not asking that a hospital should be provided overnight in Tuam. What I am seeking is that finance be made available immediately to commence the planning of Tuam hospital and the Tuam health campus, separate finance to be made available for the immediate establishment of the ambulance base and the construction of the primary care unit. If the Tánaiste is to pursue implementation of the Hanly report, she could do no better than develop a prototype local hospital in Tuam as envisaged in that report so that it would be clear to all what is on offer.

Last February I got an undertaking from the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children that an announcement would be made in regard to the Tuam project in 12 to 14 weeks. That was four months ago and we still have no announcement. We need a timescale and we need it now.

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