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Dáil
‹ Questions on Promised Legislation

Drogheda primary care staffing

Summary

Deputy Imelda Munster says Drogheda has too few therapists despite commitments to expand primary care and asks about a long waiting list. The Taoiseach says many new primary care centres have opened and will ask the Health Minister to reply in writing.

The programme for Government promises the delivery of enhanced primary care centres to every community and an increase in the number of therapists in primary care centres throughout the State. Almost two and a half years later and despite that commitment, Drogheda, which is the largest town in Ireland, has only one full-time and one part-time occupational therapist to cater for the entire town and the surrounding areas of south Louth. There are 124 people on the waiting list at the moment and the estimated waiting time is 44 weeks. An old age pensioner with Parkinson's disease has been told that he will have to wait 44 weeks to be assessed by an occupational therapist. When is the Minister for Health or the Taoiseach going to take HSE senior management to task over this? This is a serious failure. How can the Taoiseach justify this substandard delivery of health care in his so-called Ireland of equals, or rather of opportunity.

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Leo Varadkar The Taoiseach Fine Gael

The Deputy is getting her slogans mixed up.

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That is because there are so many of them.

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Leo Varadkar The Taoiseach Fine Gael

The programme for Government commits to an expansion of primary care centres throughout the State and almost 100 new centres have opened up in recent years. We have seen an enormous improvement in the quality of buildings and facilities throughout the country. I do not have detailed information to hand on Drogheda but I will ask the Minister for Health to reply to the Deputy in writing.

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