Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The report stated that those people who are not close to hospital services, especially those in rural communities, must travel greater distances. That is stating the obvious. I will not go into the situation at Monaghan General Hospital again. There are hospitals in the area and an examination is being carried out into the best clinical and medical ways of dealing with the health needs in the area. Discussions are taking place on that matter. Discussions are also taking place between clinicians and management in Letterkenny General Hospital and Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry to seek to develop services, particularly breast cancer services. An application for a consultant general surgeon with a special interest in these issues is under consideration by the National Hospitals Office. A new dedicated transport service has been established for patients travelling from Sligo to University College Hospital Galway.

Obviously we will do what we can to improve the travel arrangements for people to hospitals, either in Border areas or anywhere else in the country. The investment that has been made in many regional hospitals in facilities will help in that regard, as will the appointment of additional consultants in many of these areas. Obviously, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children and the Health Service Executive will continue to do all they can to improve the situation.

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