Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Great concern has been expressed in the south east about the leaked content of Professor Higgins's report on the proposed hospital network reconfiguration. I wish to put on the record that I support reform and reconfiguration in the health services as long as it is in the best interests of patients and patient care.

The regional hospital network is in danger of being dismantled and fragmented despite the fact that vast human and capital resources have been invested in these hospitals over many years to deliver a more integrated health service for the region. The hospitals serve a population of approximately 500,000 people in the south east, the optimum level required for a regional health service. If we fragment this population there is a great fear that demand for critical tertiary regional health services will become unsustainable and that eventually they will be lost. I note the Minister's recent assurances that cancer care, trauma and cardiology services will be retained in Waterford Regional Hospital in any proposed reconfiguration. However, this would require reassurance with regard to parallel budgets and governance and oversight in the region and the securing of the necessary resources for the continued viability of these services.

The vast majority of the stakeholders in the hospital services of the south east support the retention of the network in the region. I note the HSE South organisation is based in Cork and Kilkenny. It has made a strong recommendation to the Minister and Professor Higgins for retention and to exploit the full potential of the regional hospital network in the south east. The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, an independent academic organisation with strong links to hospitals in the region and throughout the country, is fully convinced that the south east hospital network is the most integrated and efficient network in the country at the moment. It has stated that the network should be used as an example for other hospital networks in the country. The vast majority of consultants in the south-east region, including those from Wexford General Hospital, South Tipperary General Hospital and Waterford Regional Hospital, are in full support of retaining the network. Those in Kilkenny have reserved judgment. Therefore, I urge the Minster to ensure full collaboration between all hospitals and to ensure health services are protected in the best interests of patients.

This case is the opposite of the case of Roscommon General Hospital. In that case critical services were centralised to Galway to provide the best medical care for the region.

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