Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator MacSharry’s motion. I compliment him on bringing the issue to the fore and highlighting the critical situation that might arise. I welcome the Minister, Deputy Reilly, and thank him for coming to the House. I appreciate that he has always been available to this House.

I will not refer to any hospital other than Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe of which I have personal knowledge. My children were born there to my wife Mary. It was a wonderful service. At the time the nuns there provided, and still provide, first class maternity services to the region, including towns such as Athlone and Roscommon. I urge the Minister to state clearly that there is no danger to the hospital and that he is not going to close the maternity service in a quality hospital such as Portiuncula Hospital.

I was chairman of the Western Health Board in 2002 when the Department bought the hospital from the nuns. I signed the contract. It was necessary at the time. The Minister for Health at the time was Brian Cowen. He provided the funding and the Department bought the hospital and it became a fully State-run hospital. We bought it on the basis of providing a service to the people of Roscommon, east Galway and elsewhere in general medicine and in particular maternity services.

I cannot speak too highly of the hospital. I urge the Minister not to allow uncertainty to develop. A report has been published. The Minister is aware of the situation in Ballinasloe. He was briefed very well by a consultant who ran for election, prior to the previous general election. The Minister knows the place very well. That is my request to him.

Nothing concentrates the minds of politicians or those in Government like a by-election. It is like facing the gallows. The Minister was in Roscommon recently. I did not attend because I could not participate in an event given the closure of the accident and emergency service by the Minister. I urge the Minister to carry out a full review of the decision. I was chairman of the Western Health Board when I signed the contract and funds of approximately €10 million were provided by the then Minister for Health, Deputy Micheál Martin, for a state-of-the-art accident and emergency department. The department’s closure is a subject of current concern in Roscommon. Fine councillors lost their seats following the election because of the decision taken by the Minister and his colleague, the Taoiseach. During the campaign I came across an accident at Lisnamult in Roscommon. A lady fell on the footpath and was badly injured. The ambulance was called straightaway and arrived within five minutes. It is an excellent service.

The technicians gave immediate care on the spot and made her comfortable. I inquired of the ambulance driver if she would be brought to the urgent care centre at Roscommon County Hospital. He said no, that he would be bringing the patient to Portiuncula Hospital Ballinasloe. If I had given her a lift - although I would not interfere in a case like this because the patient was injured - she would have been admitted to the urgent care centre in Roscommon County Hospital. As a general practitioner himself, does the Minister consider it ludicrous that an accident occurs in Roscommon town, an ambulance arrives but does not take the injured person to the acute centre in the town? This, by the way, was not at 8.30 at night but 2.30 in the afternoon.

I was amazed that the woman in question had a minor, below-knee injury to her leg which was not treated at the urgent care centre in the town but taken off to Portiuncula. When that patient presents at that hospital, then the rest of her treatment will continue there. That is how one degrades a hospital. Accident and emergency is the most crucial service any hospital can provide. The Minister will be in Roscommon for the forthcoming by-election in September or October. In the meantime, I appeal to him to examine the decision to downgrade Roscommon County Hospital. Will he also explain why an injured person would be taken from the streets of Roscommon town to Portiuncula hospital 40 miles away in Ballinasloe?