Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Minor Injuries Unit at Monaghan Hospital plays a vital role in providing valuable services to the local community, treating both adults and children over the age of 5 years.

Up until November of last year the opening hours of the MIU at Monaghan Hospital were Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. As part of improving urgent care access for patients, I asked the HSE to standardise opening hours across the country. I'm delighted to report that from November 2022 the opening hours were changed to Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm. This was as a result of funding provided under the 2022 Winter Plan, which allocated a total of €5 million for Emergency Services support, including the extension of MIU opening hours. I know this has already been of great benefit to people in the Monaghan area.

I'm pleased to inform the Deputy that a further extension of these opening hours to include weekends and public holidays will be in place by July 2023. This will mean that the MIU at Monaghan Hospital will open from 8am to 8pm 7 days a week.

I commend the HSE on the work they have done to make MIUs more available as an alternative to accessing care through ED, particularly at Monaghan Hospital which has an important role in the local area.