Keith Swanick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I take this opportunity to congratulate you, a Chathaoirligh, on your appointment and wish you the very best of luck. As Fianna Fáil spokesperson on health, I ask the Leader to invite the Minister to come to the House to discuss the district hospital network with a view to establishing a capital investment programme to upgrade some of the facilities. District hospitals should not be seen as a relic of a bygone era and if adequately resourced, they can provide a vital cog in the delivery of a modern health service. They are a widespread resource. We are not talking about a new layer of bureaucracy. There are more than 100 district hospitals around the country. Without being parochial, in deference to what Senator Craughwell said, there are four district hospitals in Mayo and with the correct level of investment we could alleviate the pressures on the secondary hospital system. The district hospital network operates in three separate ways in so far as they prevent admissions to acute hospitals, facilitate discharges from acute hospitals and can also work as an interface between the fair deal system, which is experiencing some delays even though it has improved in recent months.