John Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Page 58 the programme for Government contains a commitment to building capacity in emergency and acute services, and it states it will address hospital responsiveness to increased demand. I want to bring the attention of the Minister to an email that was sent to every GP in Kerry on 4 October informing them that the walk-in, same-day chest X-ray service would no longer be available in Kerry University Hospital. It also informed them that the current service, whereby ultrasounds are accommodated after 5 p.m., would be placed under review and that it is proposed to cease that service as of Monday, 14 October. Two critical services are, in effect, being scaled down in University Hospital Kerry. I ask the Minister to intervene directly to cease this proposal. We want to have GPs interacting with our hospitals so they can get their patients seen to in a timely manner. This is a regressive step.

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