Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)

This is a timely and opportune debate. Two events precipitated it. One was the visit by the leader of our party, Deputy Kenny, and our health spokesperson, Deputy Twomey, to several Dublin hospitals. They witnessed the chaos that reigns there, particularly at the weekend, caused by people under the influence of alcohol being brought in after closing time in the pubs. The second factor was the recent report by the Health and Safety Authority supporting what Deputies Kenny and Twomey saw on their hospital visits. Abuse of alcohol generates chaos and pandemonium in accident and emergency units. However, such chaos is evident in many accident and emergency departments and is not always caused by abuse of alcohol, rather by inadequate facilities in these departments.

This is true of the hospital with which I am most familiar, Letterkenny General Hospital, which serves a population of 140,000 in Donegal. This year, and for most of last year, the accident and emergency section in that hospital was effectively taken over, such were the number of people on trolleys. Operations and day procedures were cancelled. The hospital system was thrown into pandemonium. Deputy Twomey visited Letterkenny General Hospital, met the consultants and saw how inadequate facilities are there. The hospital applied several years ago for a new accident and emergency department. What is there at the moment is completely inadequate. A new accident and emergency department would relieve some of the pressure and prevent the cancellation of important operations and procedures in the hospital. There is also a shortage of beds. There are less than 300 beds in Letterkenny to serve the population of Donegal, which is 140,000. We need 60 or 70 additional beds. The application is with the Department and is awaiting sanction. I appeal to the Minister of State, and ask him to convey to the Minister, that we need a response as soon as possible. In Donegal we are entitled to as good a health service as any other part of the country. The two priorities are a new accident and emergency department and 60 or 70 extra beds.

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