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

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for selecting this Topical Issue on what could be the last day of the Dáil. It is particularly important that we get the opportunity to discuss it because the news that there is no funding planned as part of the capital investment programme for Ramelton Community Hospital, St. Joseph's Community Hospital, Stranorlar and Lifford Community Hospital is exceptionally concerning.

I welcome the fact funding is to be granted to a number of community hospitals across County Donegal to ensure they are brought up to the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, standards. For example, Carndonagh Community Hospital is to receive €2.5 million, Buncrana Community Hospital is to receive €2.9 million and a new community hospital is planned for Letterkenny to increase capacity. However, it is exceptionally concerning that when that announcement of capital investment was being made by the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, it was made clear that there is no planned expenditure to ensure that the three hospitals I mentioned, namely, Ramelton, Stranorlar and Lifford, can be brought up to the required standard also to ensure they can continue operating as long-term residential nursing care units. I ask the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, to give a guarantee to the public today that they will get the investment required to ensure they can continue to operate.

It is essential that we see capacity increase in Donegal in terms of long-term nursing residential care units. The population of the county is increasing and it is due to increase rapidly in the next few years. Instead of increasing capacity what is planned for in this capital investment plan will see three hospitals being shut down and that capacity replaced by a new community hospital in Letterkenny, which instead should be increasing capacity to cater for future needs.

I have raised this issue to give the Minister an opportunity to give that guarantee to the public in Donegal, in particular to the people who are served by the Ramelton, Lifford and Stranorlar community hospitals, that those hospitals will be protected into the future and funded to ensure that can be achieved.

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