Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Minister's support in respect of Letterkenny General Hospital since it was flooded and thank him for it. I also thank him for providing - in conjunction with West Northwest Hospitals Group - the funding necessary for repairing the hospital and for coming to Donegal to reopen it. When he came to Letterkenny, the Minister met representatives from the parents support group who were protesting outside the hospital. As welcome as the new facilities are, the level of staffing and the qualify of service provision are crucially important in the context of how hospitals operate. There is an inadequacy at the hospital at present in the context of the service which is supposed to be provided by a paediatric clinical nurse specialist. The relevant unit is under-resourced, particularly in the context of the number of children who visit the hospital. Some 145 children in Donegal have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. The most recent policy advice available from the Department indicates that there should be one paediatric diabetic clinical nurse specialist for every 100 children. On that basis, one and a half specialists would be required to cover all of the children in Donegal with type 1 diabetes. I accept that an additional person has been appointed to deal with the adults in Donegal - approximately 5,000 - who have diabetes. The service is stretched but I welcome the appointment to which I refer. There is a need for a commitment from the Minister that a full-time paediatric clinical nurse specialist will be appointed to Letterkenny General Hospital.

The other point I wish to raise - in respect of which I ask the Minister to communicate further with us - is that which relates to centres of excellence for paediatric diabetes. There are currently five such centres throughout the country, all of which are located south of the Dublin-Galway line. There are three centres in Dublin, one in Limerick and one in Cork. The nearest centre for those in the north west is located in Dublin. When one looks at a map, the position is this regard is made obvious in very stark terms. There is a significant imbalance in this regard. That is not appropriate. I ask the Minister to provide a commitment to the effect that a centre of excellence will be developed in the north west in order that children there who suffer with diabetes might have easier access to services. When those children travel to the existing centres of excellence, they have access to dieticians, consultants, clinical nurse specialists and psychologists. It is important that the services of such individuals be made available in the north-west region.

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