Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)

The Minister for Health talks about money following the patient in our health services and the Labour Party claims to have a policy of providing universal health care to ensure everybody receives timely treatment, but in recent months a policy has emerged in the Dublin hospitals that is preventing seriously ill patients from receiving treatment. Patients from outside Dublin are being refused treatment because they do not live in the catchment area of the hospitals. One young woman from County Donegal has been refused treatment in St. Vincent's University Hospital. The hospital removed a spinal stimulator from her back to carry out an MRI scan and now refuses to replace it. This is specialist treatment that can only be provided in this hospital. This policy is being implemented in all the Dublin hospitals. It appears that the hospitals are not being paid by the HSE for these treatments because the patients live in a certain part of the country. Is this the type of health care we can expect from the Government and is this the type of treatment people can look forward to under Labour's way?

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