James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question and take this opportunity to laud the people who work in Letterkenny Hospital for the phenomenal work they did under extraordinary conditions. The engine of the hospital, as it were, was under up to three feet of water. Many people might not realise the degree of contamination that causes and the absolute loss of operability suffered as a consequence. The kitchens and laboratory were taken out and the diagnostics were gone, yet the medical staff continued to look after their patient load. The hospital group swung into action with Bill Maher, the CEO of the group, and Noel Daly, the chairman of the board, visiting on a number of occasions. I was there on the Sunday, a couple of days after the event took place, and again on Wednesday, as was my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. The Taoiseach also visited.

The reason for the culvert blocking is being investigated and remedial action has been taken to ensure that it cannot happen again. There might be some design issues in the hospital, as much of the water was able to flow across a linked corridor into the other parts of the hospital. That must also be addressed. Again, phenomenal work was done by the staff and there was tremendous co-operation in the hospital group in terms of Sligo hospital's ability to take much of the load and Mayo and Galway helping as well. In particular, the sister hospital, Altnagelvin Hospital, took much of the pressure off in terms of the emergency services. All in all, this was a natural disaster, force majeure in insurance terms, but it was one in which everybody not only in the hospital but also in the community put their shoulder to the wheel to protect, as best they could, their citizens, families and community.

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