John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter for debate and also thank the Minister for his attendance. The worst thing one can have is speculation started by leaks, which is suddenly taken as being the truth. I firmly believe that is the case here. The suggestion that Mayo General Hospital, Portiuncula and Sligo will have their maternity units closed is totally off the wall. I have spoken to many people who have attended those maternity units and they have nothing but praise for the care and attention they received from staff.

As Deputy Calleary has said, there were over 1,700 births in Mayo General Hospital in 2012 - a figure that has grown from 1,200 at the turn of the millennium. The size of County Mayo is relevant also. In recent times we have centralised many services at Mayo General Hospital, including the renal dialysis unit, which means that patients can be treated in Castlebar rather than having to travel to Galway.

I presume that there is absolutely no truth in the latest report but it needs to be nailed now. We have heard a lot of good stories about Mayo General Hospital, including treatment for renal dialysis and cystic fibrosis. In addition, there are plans for palliative care between the Mayo-Roscommon hospice in conjunction with the HSE. Only yesterday, the hospital was named as one of the top performers in meeting targets for treating people in accident and emergency within nine hours. This is despite the fact that the hospital has taken extra patients as a result of the accident and emergency unit closing down in Roscommon. By any measure, Mayo General Hospital has performed well. It is important, however, that this matter is not made into a political football. We do need these matters to be clarified.

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