Donegal community hospitals
Deputy McConalogue raised concerns about the future of St. Joseph’s, Ramelton and Lifford community hospitals. Minister of State Jim Daly insisted the situation remained positive, said he had already briefed local Deputies, and refused to accept accusations that he had misled anyone.
I have a question for the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Jim Daly. It relates to the future of St. Joseph's Community Hospital in Stranorlar as well as Ramelton Community Hospital and Lifford Community Hospital. There was a march last Saturday at which many hundreds of people in the Stranorlar and Ballybofey area came out to march about the lack of prioritisation by the Government of funding for St. Joseph's Community Hospital because, as the Minister of State knows, the Government indicated back in 2016 that it was its plan to close all three hospitals. Will the Minister of State update us today on the funding commitment towards those three hospitals? Will he also give us an assurance that an allocation will immediately be made in the HSE capital plan for those three hospitals? Will he further give a commitment that the design phase, in particular for St. Joseph's Community Hospital and Ramelton Community Hospital, will commence immediately to ensure that they are brought up to the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, standards and that the long-stay residential beds there will continue for those communities into the future?
Comment on this
A Topical Issue matter was supposed to happen on this yesterday and it did not happen, which I regret. I am not sure how many more times I can say the same thing to the Deputy. He was at the meeting a couple of months ago where I gave him and all his colleagues the up-to-date position on that, which was all positive news and everything is progressing as outlined. I cannot get involved in the politics in Donegal. I do not follow them and they are unusual to me, but if somebody up there decides to say that I am a liar-----
Comment on this
-----I cannot really get involved on that level. I have told the people what the situation is and I have told Deputies Pearse Doherty and McConalogue. I cannot keep repeating it. The story is as it was the last time. I can give that to the Deputy again in writing or I can say it again if he wants.
Comment on this
The Minister of State should withdraw that remark. That is a big slight on the hundreds of people who turned up.