Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)

We spoke about two cases and possibly a third case of which the Minister said she is aware. Are there other cases? We spoke about misdiagnoses but much good work is done in the hospital. People must work in very difficult circumstances. Most days the accident and emergency department in Ennis is crowded. It is small and cramped and there are not enough beds. There are not even rooms in the hospital to give people privacy in the event of a loved one being seriously ill.

The Minister did not answer my question about the CAT scan. I urge her to put the development plan in place as soon as possible. We need to restore confidence in the hospital. As I said, staff are hardworking and I do not want the HSE to use these misdiagnoses as a means to downgrade the hospital. We want the hospital, particularly for the people of west Clare who must travel long distances.

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