Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. While I am somewhat reassured by what she has said, a commitment was given by the HSE to provide certain services at Bantry General Hospital in the reconfiguration programme. Those services were withdrawn, unilaterally, without consultation with the general practitioners and parents concerned.

Thankfully, the number of children with diabetes who have been affected by this is limited but that said, for those children who are living in remote areas on the peninsulas or near Bantry, CUH is a one and a half or two-hour drive away. It would not have been too much of a burden on the HSE to advertise through the GPs in the area that this service is no longer available at Bantry General Hospital and the reasons for that. That was the problem.

Parents of children with diabetes were attending Bantry General Hospital for three years or more but suddenly they were told they had to travel to CUH. It is difficult for parents to deal with that. While the service in CUH may be more efficient or centralised, the way this change has been implemented in the context of services at Bantry General Hospital is a source of worry to me. This is not the only clinic to have been moved. Clinics are introduced with great fanfare and lauded as being great for the area. Then, all of a sudden, they disappear. The services are revamped and re-emerge in the central set up at CUH. That might be the ideal location from a health point of view but for those living in remote parts of rural Ireland, there are concerns. I understand what the Minister is saying but my fears are not totally allayed. I may have to revisit this issue at another time but I appreciate the information the Minister of State has provided today.