James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)

There is no question or doubt but that patients from Roscommon have been for a long time opting to go to Mayo General Hospital, Sligo General Hospital, Portiuncula Hospital and Galway University Hospital. A survey taken a couple of years ago indicated that only 9% of people with an address in Roscommon were attending the hospital in Roscommon, with the remainder attending other hospitals. It is our intention to reverse this trend by ensuring the provision of more safe services at Roscommon General Hospital so that more people from Roscommon and beyond can be treated there.

On the matter of additional funding for Mayo General Hospital, I must advise the Deputy that Portiuncula Hospital, Galway University Hospital and Sligo General Hospital have not received additional funding. The reality is that we are on an extremely tight budget, with the troika in town every three months examining all budgets. We do not, therefore, have the latitude we had in previous years. As I stated, the provision of additional funding remains under consideration. No final decision has yet been made.

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