Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The decision regarding retention of the accident and emergency department at Portlaoise hospital is in the hands of the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, who should be leading by example. The approval of the proposed action plan submitted to the Department of Health is a policy decision for the Minister, so I urge him to take immediate action. It has been stated that lessons have been learned from other downgrades but has the Minister learned any lessons? More important, have such lessons been taken on board? The Minister should be able to make a commitment as soon as possible that there will be no downgrading at Portlaoise hospital and he should seek to reassure people who are, at this time, very concerned about the possibility of a reckless and short-sighted decision being taken. Such recklessness will put the lives of many patients at serious risk. For example, we can look at attendance at the accident and emergency department at Portlaoise, which should be taken into consideration. In 2016, there were a reported 39,212 visits to the department. This demonstrates that the department is very busy and there is a need for extra resources. The emergency department should be retained and I call on the Minister to make a commitment in this regard.

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