Fianna Fáil TD Eugene Murphy has sought clarity from the government as the announcement for a 50-bed unit for older people in St. Patrick’s hospital, a 50-bed unit at Sacred Heart Hospital, Roscommon, and a 50-bed unit at Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe stalls.
Deputy Murphy raised concerns about the viability of these projects as the National Children’s Hospital overruns may restrict funding.
“The promises made by the Minister in the most recent Parliamentary Questions ring rather hollow as all of these promises depend on inclusion in the HSE Capital Plan. As in the words of the Minister ‘that will propose the projects which can progress in 2019 having regard to available capital funding, the number of large national capital projects currently underway, the cash flow requirements attaching to each project and the relevant priority’. So reading between the lines, I would still have concerns about a number of projects in my constituency.
“Bed space and overall capacity is reaching critical levels at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe and the new 50-bed unit at the hospital is shovel ready and just awaiting the green light by Government. It looks unlikely this will happen anytime soon.
“I have once again raised this matter in Dáil. These projects cannot be left on the drawing board. Geography should not be a deciding factor in the level of healthcare available,” concluded Deputy Murphy.
