Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to see that a Minister of State from Cork is present. She probably will understand the difficulties in managing west Cork as well as anyone. In the motion I tabled, I have set out how I have been contacted by a number of people expressing concern at the reduction in paediatric outpatient clinics in Bantry General Hospital. I believe that up to three years ago, there was a monthly paediatric clinic that rotated from being a general clinic to being a diabetes clinic. I also am informed that, currently, no diabetes clinic at all is held and that the general clinic only takes place three times per annum. At present, children with type 1 diabetes are only seen twice a year in Cork University Hospital. At a time when Members are particularly concerned about type 2 diabetes and obesity in young people, I fail to understand why the diabetes clinic has been discontinued. I perceive these changes to be a further diminution of service in Bantry General Hospital and a serious blow to remote rural communities. I will repeat a point I have made previously in respect of the children's hospital in Dublin, which is that for people in Dingle, Castletownbere or remote parts of County Donegal who will be obliged to travel for five or six hours, it does not matter a damn whether it is located on the north side, the south side or in Tallaght.

It is important to note that people in west Cork and south Kerry use the service in Bantry and to note that in the United Kingdom, children with diabetes are seen every three months. I have a general concern that when Bantry General Hospital lost its accident and emergency unit, there was a promise in the reconfiguration plan for the hospital that many clinics, be they orthopaedic, paediatric, for children or whatever, would take place and that consultants under contract in Tralee hospital, the Mercy University Hospital or Cork University Hospital would visit Bantry on a regular and ongoing basis. This was to prevent people from remote areas from being obliged to travel long distances to Cork, thereby creating long delays, overcrowding and so on. This is a specific item of deep concern and being a grandparent myself with a number of grandchildren, I can understand the problem and plight of young parents who have sick children. They believe the service with which they should be provided locally - this may mean an hour's drive for some of them - has now been reduced substantially and, in respect of diabetes, appears to have ceased. I acknowledge that the dedicated diabetes nurse who was based in Bantry has retired, but if that information is correct, she should have been replaced. Unfortunately, diabetes is a developing disease for all people. It is linked to obesity, and current thinking is to deal with children at a young age when they are two, three, four or five years old. That is the time to nip it in the bud, as when one gets older and becomes an adult, if one suffers from diabetes, it probably will entail the taking of medication for the rest of one's life. Consequently, this is an important issue. While one might argue it probably is parochial, it is of huge importance to the region I represent, and hopefully the Minister of State will have some positive news in this regard.