Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for, in particular, the last paragraph in his statement, which was that the funding will now be made available. After six weeks, I have no doubt in my mind, and I am not trying to promote myself in any way, that it would not have happened if not for the raising of this Topical Issue in the House. People were scurrying in various offices, wondering how they could get this statement out before the issue was raised in the Dáil. Had I not had the opportunity to raise it today, I am convinced that there would be procrastination until September. Between now and September, I will be calling on the Minister to return to the House to confirm what he will have done with regard to the second nurse.

I know the Minister of State cares. When he was in County Donegal, he met many people, took a particular interest and followed through. I am now asking the Minister of State to bring to the attention of the Minister for Health and the HSE the importance of providing the necessary funds for a second nurse. Why would the HSE expend between €40,000 and €50,000 on this piece of equipment, which is so important to those who require these services four weeks after a heart attack or stent procedure and two to three months after surgery, and not use it to the full? We need the second nurse. From a health and safety perspective even, a second nurse is absolutely essential. I know the HSE is trying to say that this is not affecting the monitoring of telemetry for cardiac patients in need of acute care. We know that. However, these are for patients who have had their surgery carried out in other parts that are not in the hospital. That is absolutely essential.

Good Government PR seems to be more important than the substantive issue of health care. We must ensure, and I will ensure, that the patients in County Donegal receive the treatment that is available in all other parts of the country. I thank the Minister of State and ask him to pursue this because I will be pursuing it vigorously over the next number of weeks.

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