Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As a Government Deputy, I have delivered on my promise to secure the future of Roscommon County Hospital through the roll-out of a substantial investment programme totalling €20 million. We can see the hard evidence in the state-of-the-art endoscopy unit set to be built by the summer and operational by September. When completed, the 14,000 sq. ft. unit will become a diagnostic centre for the western region and facilitate a range of scope procedures, including colonoscopies, for patients. It is also hoped the service will be widened to offer bronchoscopy, cystoscopy and a range of other scope services.

Apart from a range of new development services introduced at the hospital, I am continuing to work hard to progress the other two major capital developments - a 20-bed medical rehabilitation unit and a palliative care centre on the grounds of Roscommon County Hospital. I am delighted that only in the last week almost €8 million has been ring-fenced for the construction of the rehabilitation unit which will operate as a satellite centre for the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire to relieve pressure on existing services and waiting times. It will also allow patients to be treated in their own community.

The introduction of the air ambulance service in the summer of 2012 has resulted in many lives being saved. In County Roscommon alone, one emergency a week has been dealt with since the service commenced operations almost two years ago. I am delighted by the great reaction of staff and management who understand these developments have safeguarded the future of Roscommon County Hospital. In the past four years I have attended hundreds of meetings about the hospital. Through sheer persistence, I have succeeded in securing a multi-million euro investment programme to develop and extend a range of services on an enhanced hospital campus. I assured staff in the hospital at all times that their jobs were safe and this multi-faceted investment confirms it. There is capacity in the hospital; the theatres are in place and excellent staff are available.

Like all smaller hospitals in the country, Roscommon County Hospital has a future in serving the community as part of a wider hospital network. It ensures patients who require specialist and complex care receive it in the most appropriate setting, while allowing the majority of patients to be diagnosed and treated locally. However, the fight goes on to improve the ambulance service for the county and clear challenges remain. A new ambulance base is planned for Loughglynn in west Roscommon. Despite continuous pressure on the HSE to advance work on this facility, I am disappointed that it is still not operational. The HSE has simply not delivered in ensuring the ambulance black spot in west Roscommon will be addressed; therefore, I am asking the Minister to expedite the matter. The OPW has agreed a five-year lease with the National Ambulance Service to use the former Garda station in Loughglynn as a regional ambulance base. A year and a half ago Roscommon County Council gave the go-ahead for its development. However, it seems that there has been very little progress on the project since. What is even more disappointing is that the timeline was for the base to be operational last summer.

Last year, in correspondence with the then Minister of Health, Deputy James Reilly, I highlighted the position on the ambulance service in County Roscommon. I made clear the importance of ensuring a sufficient level of ambulance cover across the county. The ambulance base in Loughglynn will be a vital facility for communities in west Roscommon and east Mayo.

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It will significantly help to improve the emergency response time in areas that heretofore were ambulance black spots. There is a need to progress the Loughglynn ambulance base and address issues around the entire ambulance service in the county. That must be an absolute priority for all stakeholders. The future of Roscommon hospital is undoubtedly safe and patients are safer but it is imperative that improvements in the ambulance service can be expedited as a matter of urgency.

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