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

The question I have for the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health is regarding stroke victims in Laois, Carlow, north Tipperary and Kildare, who appear to be left with a very precarious service since the stroke unit closed in Naas hospital. People coming to Portlaoise hospital with strokes were being sent to Naas but in the past month or so that has stopped. Apparently there is a very precarious service at the moment. The expectation was that Tallaght would take them but apparently Tallaght is not obliged to because it is a voluntary hospital. Patients are being diverted to Kilkenny, which is in a different hospital group, which itself is problematic. There is no certainty for those patients. It is a serious situation. As a doctor, the Taoiseach will know that they need to be seen in a specialist stroke unit within the first four hours. Can he address this very serious situation?

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