Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. I am speaking in support of my colleagues regarding what has turned out to be an extremely serious issue. It has been highlighted by the Senators from Tipperary, Clare and Limerick. Whatever has to be done should be to be done in order to address it.

If I might digress for a moment, I wish to put a number of issues relating to my area on the record. Longford does not have a general hospital. The main general hospital that serves the people of Longford is located in Mullingar, where excellent care is provided. We do have St. Joseph's campus, however, a facility with which the Minister will be familiar. Among the issues I wish to highlight is the fact that until recently there was only one palliative care bed on St. Joseph's campus. I have raised this matter on a number of occasions since I was elected. A second bed has been added while the development relating to the new configuration at the campus is taking place. However, the figures show that a greater need exists. We should not have a situation where there would not be a bed available to allow a person to pass away in their home area. A 20-bed unit is being developed in Tullamore, but I want additional bed space to be provided at St. Joseph's.

There is an issue whereby MIDOC GP CLG went into administration just before Christmas. This issue was made known to the Minister recently. A new contract with the doctors has not been agreed. A temporary contract is in place, but we need to have a permanent contract sorted out immediately. I hear talk to the effect that it will hopefully be in place by the end of March. That is not acceptable. I am aware that the matter does not come fully within the Minister's remit. However, we need to progress the negotiations with the doctors and get the permanent contract in place in order to provide the people in my home county with certainty as to the fact that the service will be available. We had an issue a number of weeks ago where a locum was not available and people were referred to Mullingar to access MIDOC service there. I do not think that is acceptable.

There is also the issue of the radiology department. We have a fantastic radiology department that needs to be upgraded. We should not have a situation where people go to Mullingar when we have the service available in our county. If we want to reduce the large number of patients in accident and emergency departments, we should upgrade the facilities that we have.

I take this opportunity to extend an invitation to the Minister. Councillor Peggy Nolan, who the Minister knows well and who is a fantastic advocate for the hospital, and I would like him to come and meet us in order that we can show him the fantastic facility we could have if we got investment and additional resources.