Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail)

I raise the issue of the neurology service in the Health Service Executive north-west region. This is a matter of concern to MS Ireland, which is located in Donegal. MS Ireland brought the matter to my attention, as did other patients seeking appointments for this service in Letterkenny General Hospital and in Sligo General Hospital.

There is one consultant neurologist for the HSE north-west region located at Sligo General Hospital. It has been well documented that neurology services in the Republic of Ireland are under-developed generally in comparison to other European and developed countries. Neurological disease affects approximately 700,000 people in Ireland. Each year, 44,000 new patients are diagnosed with neurological problems. Stroke is the third most common cause of death and the leading cause of disability in this country. With an ageing population, neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's will become an even more serious public health issue in the future.

There are 21 consultant neurologists and five consultant neurophysiologists in the public service in the Republic of Ireland. In April 2003, the report by Comhairle na nOspidéal, the National Hospitals Office, on neurology and neurophysiology services recommended one consultant neurologist per 100,000 of population, with a suggested total of 39 in the Republic, which would translate into approximately 42, given the 2006 census figures. The recommendation for clinical neurophysiology was for a total of nine consultants compared to three in 2003. The current figure is five neurophysiologists in the Republic.

The consultant neurologist at Sligo General Hospital is doing a tremendous job. He rotates between Sligo General Hospital and Letterkenny General Hospital. I pay tribute to that consultant neurologist for the work he is doing but he cannot do that work alone because the population of the region is 250,000. Based on the Comhairle na nOspidéal report of 2003, there should be 2.5 neurologists in an area catering for 250,000 people. I am calling for the appointment of a second consultant neurologist to cover the Letterkenny-Sligo area, the north-west area, to ensure that the backlog of appointments is cleared.

The demands on the service are overwhelming. Between the two hospitals, Letterkenny General and Sligo General, there are almost 900 people on an outpatient waiting list, with an estimated waiting time of at least 18 months for routine appointments. That list includes patients who to date have been treated in neurology services elsewhere in the country and who have a reasonable expectation that the treatment can be continued locally now that a neurology service has commenced.

I welcome the fact that there is a consultant neurologist at Sligo General Hospital. However, that consultant is under increasing pressure to deal with the demand. The Department of Health and Children and the HSE should consider the appointment of the second neurologist in the north-west region and adopting the recommendations made in the 2003 Comhairle na nOspidéal report.

There are many other people on waiting lists for EEG appointments etc. The north-west region is only one example; it is the area for which I am fighting. I ask that the people on the waiting list from Donegal and the west region be facilitated by the appointment, based on a recommendation from Comhairle na nOspidéal, of a second neurologist in the north-west region.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Wallace, for coming into the House to take this Adjournment matter and look forward to her response.