Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to ask about what is happening for children with diabetes in St. Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny. The hospital lost two clinical nurse specialists in late 2023 and for some reason has not been able to recruit replacements. The hospital has insulin pumps but nobody is trained to use them. I have met several very upset parents who have children with type 1 diabetes. These children receive five or six injections per day, but they need to be on an insulin pump. This seems to be a huge issue in many hospitals. In Carlow-Kilkenny, I have never seen the parents so upset. I wonder what we can do. The pumps are there, but there are no staff to use them.

On the injury clinics, which another Member asked about, the Minister for Health has been in Carlow twice or three times in the past six months. I asked him about an injury unit or clinic for Carlow. We have a population of more than 62,000 and the population grew by 9% in the latest census. The Tánaiste is correct that we need these injury units across the country. Carlow needs one urgently

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