Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein)

I thank Senator Wilson for sharing time with me on this issue. As he mentioned, Ballinagh has only had a brand new health centre in the past few years and it provides critical services to the local community. The removal of the GP service in the area will inflict a significant blow not just on Ballinagh but on the surrounding areas. What is the guarantee that other towns like Kilnaleck, beside Ballinagh, will be safe? The new state-of-the-art facility in Ballinagh was a momentous event for the town and it signalled that primary health care would remain at the heart of the community and that elderly people would not have to travel extensively for primary care services. This is a critical service providing critical access for people. I urge the Minister, on the day when Cavan General Hospital has the second highest number of people waiting on trolleys in the State, to intervene to ensure that Ballinagh has a GP service and to ensure that frontline care services are kept intact. The removal of GP services will significantly set back the delivery of primary health care services for Ballinagh and its catchment area. I urge the Minister and the HSE to intervene.