Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issue of St. Brigid's hospital in Carrick-on-Suir. It was commandeered by the last Government at the start of the last outbreak and was deemed to be fit to serve Covid step-down patients. I note that the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is present. Why was the hospital closed in the middle of a pandemic? Why did the Minister of State refuse to meet her own colleague, Councillor Kieran Bourke from Tipperary, in relation to the issue of the closure of the hospital? It is a wonderful institution, as the Minister of State knows well. Why has the rug been pulled from underneath it? Why are people being denied the services they need? I do not want to hear anything about diabetic clinics. How was the hospital deemed suitable for treating Covid patients when it is not now deemed suitable for patients convalescing?

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