Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Serious concerns have been expressed by general practitioners in Drogheda and the surrounding area about Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. This evening I spoke to a doctor in the area for over 27 years who finds the normal arrangements he had with the hospital for those years have now been changed. Doctors in the Drogheda area are making the charge against the HSE that they can no longer refer patients to the hospital for blood tests. Their patients have to wait six to eight weeks for routine X-rays. No physiotherapist or ultra sound is available for referral patients. Blood samples are sent out of the hospital for analysis. Their most serious charge against the Minister for Health and Children and the HSE is that both refused to meet with them.

The knock-on effect is that it is driving patients lucky enough to have health insurance into private care or other hospitals. It is a drive by the Department to force people out of the health services into private hospital care. The ordinary medical cardholder is getting a dreadful service. It is a serious matter when the doctors of Drogheda town and district are up in arms. I hope the Minister of State will ensure a change of course in the hospital's management. In Dundalk or Navan, one only has to wait one week for an X-ray. In Drogheda, one waits eight weeks. People in Drogheda want the previous service restored. The Government is on a course of conflict to drive them into private hospitals. The State health system is not providing the services which the people and the doctors are demanding.

Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)
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The HSE has confirmed that Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda is experiencing some difficulty in the provision of services as outlined by Deputy O'Dowd. The executive is working to address these difficulties, which appear to have arisen due to staffing issues. The executive has confirmed there has been some curtailment recently in phlebotomy services due to staffing deficits resulting from staff resignations and increased activity pressures. The executive considers the phlebotomy service can appropriately be provided to patients in a community setting. Accordingly, hospital management and the primary, community and continuing care directorate are working together to finalise plans to facilitate the taking of bloods from GPs' patients in a local primary care setting.

Due to the refurbishment of the digital X-ray room at the hospital, patients referred to Drogheda by GPs will experience a delay until this refurbishment plan is completed. The HSE has advised that the refurbished facility will be operational by the end of December. However, GPs have been advised that their patients can be facilitated in the interim at both Louth County Hospital and Our Lady's Hospital, Navan.

There has been a temporary curtailment of outpatient physiotherapy services at the hospital due to staffing difficulties. A recruitment process is under way to replace staff who have left and appointments are to be expedited. While there has been some improvement as a result of existing staff working overtime, full restoration of the service will be possible only when the full staff complement is in place. The Department supports the achievement of this as soon as possible.