Health Services Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-18 ============================================================ Michael Moynihan (FF), Cork North-West I thank Senator Conway very much for the opportunity to address the House today on an issue I know is of real and ongoing importance to the people of County Clare and the wider mid-west. I am taking this Commencement on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. At the outset, I reassure the Senator that the Government is fully committed to improving patient services and delivering patient-centred care that truly meets the needs of patients and their families. That commitment is reflected in the significant level of new resources that have been invested in the HSE in recent years. Investment in the hospitals in the mid-west has increased from €370 million in 2019 to €763 million in 2025. That includes Ennis Hospital and University Hospital Limerick, UHL. This investment is already making a real difference for a large number of patients accessing care, and it will support the hospitals in the region to continue expanding and improving the services they provide. In terms of the haemodialysis services in the region, the HSE has advised that patients from County Clare are currently treated either in UHL or in the hospital's satellite centre in the Dock Road in Limerick city. Haemodialysis is a life-sustaining treatment. However, we cannot underestimate the toll it takes, for dialysis patients and their loved ones, travelling to treatment several times a week, often for hours on end. It is extremely demanding. The national renal office has highlighted a significant growth in demand for haemodialysis services in the mid-west, with a 66% increase in demand between 2010 and 2020. More recently in 2025, 150 of the 414 patients who attended dialysis in UHL were residents of County Clare. Work is under way to progress the development of a haemodialysis unit in Ennis, which I understand will provide 120 treatment slots per week. The HSE has advised that this unit is expected to become operational in the fourth quarter of 2026. This is a very welcome development for the people of County Clare using those services. It will also help to ease pressures on the renal department at University Hospital Limerick as well as the satellite unit on the Dock Road in Limerick. It also reflects the direction set out in the national strategy for renal services and is in keeping with the Sláintecare goal of delivering more care closer to people's homes. I assure the Senator that the Minister for Health fully recognises the importance of expanding haemodialysis options in the mid-west. This additional capacity will make a meaningful difference for patients and their families across the entire region. The Minister, and the entire Government, continue to engage closely with the HSE to ensure it is supported in delivering high-quality healthcare services for the people of the mid-west. I accept the challenges and issues Senator Conway raises. It is hugely important that we understand the challenges for people who are undergoing dialysis and the long distances they have to travel several times a week. It is not just on a once-off basis. They are travelling long distances to Limerick. The HSE and the Government are fully committed to the unit in Ennis. I will take the Senator's concern back to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I also assure the Deputy that the HSE and the Government will continue to monitor this to ensure there is a speedy delivery of the unit, which would free up the services within Limerick but also give greater access to services for the people of County Clare closer to their homes. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-18/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:05+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-06-18