Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

Serious concerns have been expressed by general practitioners in Drogheda and the surrounding area about Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. This evening I spoke to a doctor in the area for over 27 years who finds the normal arrangements he had with the hospital for those years have now been changed. Doctors in the Drogheda area are making the charge against the HSE that they can no longer refer patients to the hospital for blood tests. Their patients have to wait six to eight weeks for routine X-rays. No physiotherapist or ultra sound is available for referral patients. Blood samples are sent out of the hospital for analysis. Their most serious charge against the Minister for Health and Children and the HSE is that both refused to meet with them.

The knock-on effect is that it is driving patients lucky enough to have health insurance into private care or other hospitals. It is a drive by the Department to force people out of the health services into private hospital care. The ordinary medical cardholder is getting a dreadful service. It is a serious matter when the doctors of Drogheda town and district are up in arms. I hope the Minister of State will ensure a change of course in the hospital's management. In Dundalk or Navan, one only has to wait one week for an X-ray. In Drogheda, one waits eight weeks. People in Drogheda want the previous service restored. The Government is on a course of conflict to drive them into private hospitals. The State health system is not providing the services which the people and the doctors are demanding.

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