Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise another health matter, namely, the situation at Letterkenny General Hospital which is escalating week by week of the huge delay in appointments and waiting lists for urology services at the hospital. This has been escalating since Dr. Kevin Moran resigned from his position at the hospital due to a number of factors. As a result, the waiting lists have escalated out of control. The hospital now advises GPs and patients that it cannot provide for them and people can go either to Galway or Ballykelly. In fact, I have received that communication from the office of the manager of Letterkenny General Hospital for a patient as recently as last week. This matter affects hundreds of patients in County Donegal awaiting urology and related appointments.

The figures for August 2015 showed that 880 patients were waiting on an outpatients urology appointment at the hospital, 343 of whom had been on the list for more than one year. There were also 233 patients awaiting an inpatient urology appointment. Dr. Rogers, who is based in Galway, provides some cover for inpatient appointments but there is no cover whatever for outpatient appointments at Letterkenny General Hospital.

The waiting lists at Letterkenny hospital are escalating out of control. I know the Minister visited the hospital recently. Does he agree it is acceptable to have 15,000 people waiting for an outpatient appointment at the hospital, 4,000 of whom have been waiting for more than one year? Is that an acceptable standard in the Department of Health? I do not think it is. One gentleman in particular who has been waiting for a urology appointment at the hospital for more than two years has been in touch with my office and I have spoken to him. His circumstances are such that instead of him being given an outpatient appointment, there is no alternative but to put him on severe medication which is having an adverse effect on his health. He has had no option but to ask his GP to refer him elsewhere given that Letterkenny General Hospital has advised, through my own office, that there is no chance he will be given an appointment in the near future. He is only one of 880 patients and I am aware of many other examples.However, this matter requires urgent attention and approval at the highest level by the Minister's good office to allow for the appointment of a consultant urologist at Letterkenny General Hospital. This post has been vacant. It is my understanding that a locum urologist was due to take up appointment at Letterkenny but due to a lack of scheduled operating times, he moved elsewhere.

A recent reply to a parliamentary question in the other House advised that the appointment was a matter for the hospital but the hospital management advised, as recently as in the past ten days, that they are waiting for sanction from the Department of Health to appoint a new urologist. I raise the issue to seek clarification and a commitment from the Minister that a consultant urologist will be appointed at Letterkenny General Hospital without any further delay. I am also anxious to ascertain the Minister's view on the escalating waiting lists for urology appointments and the general scheme, with more than 15,000 people waiting for an appointment at the hospital and 4,000 people waiting for over 12 months.