Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to again raise the matter of overcrowding at Letterkenny University Hospital. This morning there were 22 patients on trolleys or in hospital wards due to the overcrowding and yesterday there were 43. The HSE confirmed to my colleague, Councillor Gerry McMonagle, yesterday that it will open the ten beds in the short stay ward in January. Has the Government not sanctioned opening the 20 beds in that ward given the current level of overcrowding? Some 4,700 people have been on hospital trolleys or in overcrowded wards so far this year as a result of the capacity issue. The ward and the 20 beds are there, yet sanction has only been given from the Government to the HSE to open ten of them. Can the Taoiseach explain why the people of Donegal are being denied the other ten beds?

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