Keith Swanick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming into the House to take this matter. I am hopeful she will be able to allay the fears of the communities of Elphin and Strokestown who are hearing reports of the potential closure of one or both of their health centres once the new primary care centre opens in Boyle, County Roscommon. The opening of the new centre is warmly welcomed. Providing dental services, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and public health nursing services all under the one roof will be of fantastic benefit to the community. I know this because of my experience in general practice in Belmullet, County Mayo, but I am also aware of how destitute my patients would be without these services and the hardship it would cause if they were forced to travel 50 miles to Castlebar to avail of them.

Shortly before the Easter break, the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Helen McEntee, reiterated in the House that one of the Government's key priorities was to implement a decisive shift in health services towards primary care. She stated: "Our ultimate goal and, as Minister of State with responsibility for older people, my goal is to make sure that people get the care they need as close to home as possible and have access to a greater range of health and social care services within their community." Will the Minister of State, Deputy Corcoran Kennedy, advise what "as close to home" and "within their community" mean in this context? Does it mean within walking distance or the county boundary? Whatever way we look at it, a healthy person would have no problem in travelling a distance to a primary care centre for treatment, but, as I have said previously, we need to remember that most people visiting GPs and care centres are not in the whole of their health. They are in need of medical attention and we can assume in pain or distress. The fact that they cannot visit a doctor in their own locality, in close proximity to their home, only adds to their distress.

The journey from the health centre in Strokestown to the new primary care centre in Boyle is at least a half an hour's drive. The smaller care centres around the country are vital in so far as they act as a filter to the larger centres and the wider hospital network, thus preventing an additional workload at these highly pressurised sites. In response to a parliamentary question submitted by Deputy Billy Kelleher on the future of services in Elphin and Strokestown health centres, Mr. Frank Murphy, head of primary care services, stated the services being provided from existing health centres would be reviewed in the context of whether they would be more appropriately delivered from a primary care centre. I am referring to two small health centres in two small villages facilitating older people in rural communities. Will the Minister of State provide further clarity on the future of these centres which cater for a large ageing population in great need of them?