Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I welcome the fact there has been increased funding and I acknowledge it because I did complain in the Thirty-first Dáil about the budget for Portlaoise hospital, which was substantially reduced. I also welcome the increase in staff numbers. I report in a positive way that this has made a difference. There were investigations and reviews with regard to the maternity services. It is now acknowledged that Portlaoise has excellent maternity services and outcomes. The Minister of State is correct that it is part of the Dublin Midlands hospital group and this network has been beneficial. I acknowledge all of this.

The missing piece of the jigsaw is to nail down and tie down once and for all the emergency department because if we take the emergency department out, we will lose other key services such as paediatrics, maternity and the ICU. Prior to the Covid emergency there were only two ICU beds in the hospital. This will need to be examined when we get to the far side of the pandemic, and I hope that will be soon. It is difficult to recruit senior medical staff. Staff have been recruited but it is difficult to recruit consultants and senior clinicians when there is no certainty.

The Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, visited the Coombe to show Government support for front-line staff. According to his statement, he also wanted to underline the Government's full commitment to the implementation of the national maternity strategy. Portlaoise is part of the integrated maternity network with the Coombe, so where does Portlaoise fit into the national maternity strategy? I want the Minister of State to communicate to the Minister and the Government that this is an important issue. It is about a serious issue in the middle of the country in a very busy local hospital.

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