Hospital Services
Dail Éireann — 2022-10-05
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Éamon Ó Cuív (FF), Galway West

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht a theacht isteach inniu agus éisteacht linn. Mar a thuigeann an Leas-Cheann Comhairle agus an bheirt Teachta atá ag tógáil na ceiste seo inniu, tá fíorthábhacht ag baint leis an ospidéal ar an gClochán. Ní mór a chinntiú go mairfidh sé, go bhfásfaidh sé agus go mbeidh sé ann go dtí go mbeidh an t-ionad nua curtha ar fáil ar an gClochán.
It is very hard to do total justice to this issue in two minutes each for Deputy Farrell and me but I will try to be brief and cut to the chase. The solution is to speed up the building of the new community nursing unit, CNU. Planning is to be lodged during this quarter. I cannot for the life of me understand why it will take three years to build and commission the unit. I just do not get that. I think Ardnacrusha was started within four weeks of a decision being taken. It is time we went back to moving things forward.
In the meantime we need a full complement of staff in the hospital in Clifden, including physiotherapists. Our understanding is that the jobs to date have been advertised only in the local newspapers and on local radio. Not only is it not possible to get people locally but in many cases nurses and other skilled professionals are coming in from outside Ireland and the European Union. It is time Saolta University Health Care Group and the HSE got together to address international recruitment and ensured people are available to provide services here. HR also needs to be improved.
I will make a final point, and I would make other points but I do not have time to do so. To visit Merlin Park University Hospital in Galway or a respite or step-down facility if one were provided in Galway would require a five-and-a-half-hour return journey. That is intolerable.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2022-10-05/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:51:07+00:00
Sitting date: 2022-10-05