Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is not acceptable to make neurology patients travel so far. The campaign group Patients Deserve Better has outlined the impact of this, including the increased costs and waiting lists, as well as unnecessary hospital admissions when services are not provided locally. It is not just the campaign group, however. The HSE model of care report suggests there is a need for a consultant neurologist to provide neurology services at Letterkenny University Hospital.

This is just another example of Letterkenny University Hospital being in a perpetual state of crisis. Waiting lists for diabetes care have gone through the roof, with a range of unfilled vacant posts. In an unprecedented move last year, 100 GPs signed a public letter to the Minister and to consultants, saying that the hospital's emergency department was unsafe. There are huge waiting lists in dermatology services due to unfilled posts. Letterkenny University Hospital cannot go on like this. It is leaping from crisis to crisis. It needs further investment but, crucially, it needs to be upgraded as a hospital. That is abundantly clear and it is one of the main reasons we cannot recruit people into positions. It seems as if I could raise another crisis at Letterkenny University Hospital with the Minister every week. This issue needs to be dealt with in its entirety. The upgrading of the hospital is probably one of the steps that need to be taken without delay.

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