asked the Minister for Health why it is considered necessary to send patients requiring tonsillectomy from County Donegal to hospitals outside the county; and whether it is not possible to make suitable arrangements at some hospital within the county.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Donegal Tonsillectomy Patients.
18.
Tonsillectomies for the north-western area are carried out in Sligo General Hospital. Some are at present being carried out in Dublin hospitals. The ear, nose and throat services in the North-Western Health Board area are based in Sligo General Hospital, where there is a consultant ENT surgeon and 14 ENT beds. This is a regional specialist service and it is not considered that it should be diffused, so that it would also be provided in a Donegal hospital.
The provision of an extra theatre has been approved for Sligo General Hospital and this is expected to be available in about two years' time. When this theatre is in use it is expected that it will not be necessary to send any ENT patients outside the board's area for treatment.
Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that his Department, in common with most other Departments, seem to regard Sligo as a suitable centre for the north-west? Is he aware that Sligo is more than half way to Dublin from Malin Head? In other words, Sligo is nearer to Dublin than to Malin Head which it is supposed to serve. Would the Parliamentary Secretary have another look at the proposal to provide an extra theatre in Sligo which will not be available for another two years, and see whether some sanity could be brought into the provision of this service in County Donegal? Sligo is more than half way to Dublin from the north of the county and this service is just not good enough.
I share the Deputy's anxiety about not having this service in Donegal. The health board are responsible for the services in the three counties of Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal. They must try to provide the best services efficiently and economically. That may mean a particular speciality should be based in one hospital.
Could I suggest to the Parliamentary Secretary, and through him to the Minister and the Department, that they should try to eradicate the idea which seems to be implanted in the Department that, so long as a service is provided in the board area, no other consideration has to be taken into account? It does not follow that by putting the service in Sligo it is suitably located for Donegal. It is not. It is lopsided. It is not a fair or a good service.
I come from the Southern Health Board area which includes Cork and Kerry. The Deputy has all my sympathy and I should like to have a chat with him about this matter.
I understand that the Parliamentary Secretary's situation is similar to what I am raising here. Could I have more than his sympathy? Would he try to clear up this issue?