Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Government recently announced the HSE capital infrastructure programme of €1.1 billion in spend. In the programme, the Government has given more than €90 million to each of the five Dublin hospitals, €55 million to Cork, €54 million to Limerick, and €64 million to Galway. To University Hospital Waterford, which is the busiest hospital in the country for the past four months, the only hospital last year to reduce its waiting lists by 20%, and the hospital with the best metrics in accident and emergency department times and presentations, the Government has awarded €7 million. Of that, there is no allocation for beds. The Minister, Deputy Donnelly, has spent the past 15 months coming to Waterford and applauding the performance of that hospital, yet in this capital spend programme he has penalised it while rewarding dysfunction in other hospitals around the country.

Will the Taoiseach have a look at the capital allocation to University Hospital Waterford? We are waiting now on a consultant's report for more than 15 months to give us a funding programme for beds. The most recent bed delivery there was in 2016 and we badly need a proper and fair allocation of resources.

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