The Fianna Fáil Leader Micheál Martin has called for a clear commitment from the Minister for Health James Reilly on the supports that will be provided to Letterkenny General Hospital in the coming months to get it back up and running to full capacity.
Deputy Martin visited the hospital today and described the damage caused by last week’s flooding as ‘devastating’. He commended the remarkable work of staff and management in keeping all patients safe and comfortable during what is an unprecedented crisis.
“The sheer scale of the devastation following last week’s floods has to be seen to be believed. This level of damage is unprecedented for any Irish hospital in living memory, and there are serious implications for health service provision right across the North West,” said Deputy Martin.
“I want to commend the remarkable efforts of staff who have worked tirelessly since last Friday in the face of extremely difficult conditions to look after patients and keep the hospital going. They must be given every support possible as the recovery effort continues.
“I am calling on the Minister for Health James Reilly to clearly outline the supports that will be provided to Letterkenny General Hospital in the coming months. It is crucial that this goes beyond the current emergency phase. Letterkenny General Hospital is one of the busiest hospitals in the country and is critical to the health services of the North West region. The Minister must commit to providing the necessary resources in the medium and longer term to ensure that all services available at the hospital prior to this crisis are fully restored.”
Mr Martin was joined on his visit today by local Fianna Fáil representatives Charlie McConalogue TD, Pat the Cope Gallagher MEP, Cllr Ciarán Brogan, Cllr Dessie Larkin and Cllr Victor Fisher.