Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is no doubt that this motion is very relevant for the whole of the State but it is particularly relevant for County Kerry. The primary care facilities in Kerry, particularly in UHK, are under severe pressure. Before Christmas, there was a lot of talk about elective surgeries being cancelled for three days in Limerick. Elective surgeries in UHK have been postponed since 15 December last. There has been a lack of surge capacity in that hospital for years. Whenever there is a winter flu or the hospital comes under any other pressure, such as the Covid pandemic, it is the elective surgeries that are put back. However, it is totally unacceptable that they have been out of action for the last three months. Kerry is a county in which there is a high degree of isolation and many small towns and villages are struggling when it comes to recruiting and retaining GPs. Elective surgery services are being offered in Cork and Limerick. That is also totally inappropriate and is going to lead to suffering for other patients and a diminution of services in UHK.

Tough questions need to be asked. I have been speaking to staff and they have told me about the crucial points that must be addressed. Staff in the hospitals are concerned about the services. They are working very hard but see what is happening around them. Are there any plans to provide protected beds for elective surgeries? Even in UHL, which is rightly receiving attention, the interruption to surgery was only temporary. In Kerry, it seems to be semi-permanent. Some 100 new beds were promised in a previous review by HSE management but these plans have now been abandoned.

The solutions are there and this motion gives a good account of our stances and policy positions. We must free up GP appointments. There is no doubt but that the GP system is broken. All around the county, from Milltown to Ballyduff, I hear of GPs coming in but being asked to run a business. Supports and services should be put in place to attract GPs to rural areas.

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