Hospital Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-01
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Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (FG), Dún Laoghaire

I am delighted. I again thank Deputy McGreehan for raising this matter. Deputy Paula Butterly also raised it with me but in a different way. I just want to compliment the region in general and the hospital management in Louth, particularly Priya Madhu, who is the hospital manager there and who has done so much. Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, which the minor injury unit supports, has done phenomenal work. There are zero people on trolleys there today. For the past ten days, the hospital as been completely within the green threshold in that regard. As a representative for County Louth for so long, the Deputy knows how that was very much not the case a year and a half ago or two years ago and that the emergency department in the hospital was really challenged. There were no people on trolleys in the hospital yesterday. I checked that at 8 a.m. this morning, and it is only just after 9 a.m now. There were also no people on trolleys on Saturday. As indicated, all week long, the hospital has been within the green threshold, which is the accepted safe level.
We have given Drogheda hospital additional resources for a virtual ward that has 12 beds. I am pleased to say that Drogheda hospital is using that ward. There were eight people on the virtual ward yesterday. The figure for the ward has been in and around that each day. They could put a few more on because there are 12 beds on the ward. The point is that the hospital is using the resources it has been given intelligently, well and in a way that serves the people Deputy McGreehan represents in County Louth. I am so pleased to champion, highlight and promote what Priya Madhu and her team have done. It is absolutely fantastic. The Deputy is aware what has happened is a turnaround for both the hospital for the people she represents. We are so pleased to be able to do more to support that really excellent level of care. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-01/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:06+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-01