Hospital Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-27
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John Clendennen (FG), Offaly

I appreciate the Minister of State's response but the options that will be given to patients in the midlands are already in every geographical location around the country except the midlands and that is exactly what needs to change. Sláintecare commits to reducing waiting times, bringing care closer to home and regional delivery. We want to see all three delivered in the midlands. On a basic human level, behind every waiting list number is a person living in pain, struggling to work or watching their quality of life deteriorate. If you are living in the midlands or in Offaly, you are expected to commute or get a train in order to avail of those services and that is simply not acceptable in 2026.
In 2018, A Trauma System for Ireland: Report of the Trauma Steering Group recognised Tullamore for its 24-7 emergency department with trauma, orthopaedic and general surgery on call. That is a strategically important location. As recently as July 2024, a report commissioned by the HSE exploring the options for increasing hospital capacities in the midlands identified the need. Yet, in the response this evening, there is no recognition of that.
We are seeing population growth. We need to future-proof for it. It took 30 years to deliver the concept of primary care centres. The midlands and Offaly cannot wait 30 years for elective capacity to be brought there. We need to move away from a model under which we are expected to go to Dublin or Galway. We want that capacity to be brought to the midlands and to take the pressure off the other areas. I propose that the Government look strongly now at forming some kind of dedicated stakeholder task force to work on the issue as a matter of urgency to ensure patients in the midlands who want and need elective surgery can get it in the midlands.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-27/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:01+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-27