Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, and I mean this with no disrespect to the Minister of State, I really needed the Minister of Health present here in the Chamber. It was incredibly important for him to be here to answer questions or, at the very least, to have a Minister of State here from within his Department. I am struggling to be able to see where the Minister of State will be able to provide any clarification, which is what I need for my constituents. The Minister of State will only be able to read out the response he has been given and nothing more. I add that this situation is not unusual. We often have a different a Minister or Minister of State taking a question on behalf of the Minister with sole responsibility for that Department. Usually, however, it is someone from within the relevant Department.

They would have some experience or knowledge themselves on the issue, but that is not the case here. This is not the only time this issue has occurred. This is the second time the Minister of State has responded to this matter, once here and prior to that in the Seanad. There has been nothing but confusion created on when Ennis will get its satellite haemodialysis unit, which was announced and promised. I am extremely concerned about it as I hear from within UHL that the question should be whether it is happening at all. Since February, I have been told that the proposal for an externally contracted satellite haemodialysis unit at Ennis General Hospital is currently under review. Then a further sentence was added stating it was under internal HSE review and that funding for any approved proposal would be subject to the standard Estimates process. I received a response to a parliamentary question from the then acting CEO of the UL Hospitals Group saying that the tender process is complete but that funding and HSE board approval are now required.

There appears to be so many versions of the same thing. Is there a straightforward answer? I hope the Minister of State will be able to provide one in his response. In fairness, I have gone from pillar to post on this issue, which requires a simple answer as to when it will happen. Why has there been so much hesitation? That only became apparent after the announcement was made last year. What is going on? It is completely unacceptable.

I ask the Minister of State to go back to the Minister for Health and to relay my exact sentiments. Haemodialysis is a mostly lifelong treatment given to people suffering from severe kidney failure. UHL is the only hospital in the Ennis-Limerick-Nenagh region that offers this service and it has little to no capacity currently to accept new patients. The hospital is under great pressure and a potential disaster is waiting to happen.

The cost of transporting patients from the mid-west to UHL by taxi for this exact treatment was €204,321 last year. If we go back to when the records began in 2017, the cost was nearly €127,181, which indicates a significant increase. I hear through the grapevine that the satellite haemodialysis unit is not going ahead and management is so desperate it has decided to offer night dialysis. There is no sign of additional resources coming forward. This gives rise to a myriad of issues of concern. Is the Minister of State aware of the proposal to provide night dialysis and what is his response to that?

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