Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In University Hospital Kerry, we have great staff and a great manager whose interests are in her staff and especially in the patients who use the facilities there. However, we have a crisis in the accident and emergency department where patients are waiting 24, 36, 48 hours and longer. Many of these are elderly people. A 96 bed block is required in addition to the 39 beds which are already in train there. A new maternity unit is urgently required there due to the clinical risks to both mother and baby and due to the fact that the current location of the unit is simply too far away from the theatre and this must be addressed as soon as possible.

There is also an urgent need for a permanent oncology and haematology building as the patients requiring chemotherapy are increasing year-on-year with more than 5,000 patients treated there last year. Patients would not have to travel to Cork if we could accommodate them in Kerry. This is obviously very important.

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