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SINN Féin TD for Kerry, Pa Daly, says if there were proper planning and resources at a Dingle Hospital then it would alleviate the burden on University Hospital Kerry.
Deputy Daly criticised the HSE and Minister Stephen Donnelly for the situation at Ospidéal Pobal Chorca Dhuibhne since it opened in 2010.
“Ospidéal Pobal Chorca Dhuibhne was completed in 2008 at a cost of €16.4m and promised to deliver sixty-eight residential and short stay beds for the people of West Kerry,” he said.
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“In addition, the hospital promised primary care services, a minor injuries unit equipped with X-ray, and an ambulance base. The opening was delayed until 2010 and it is a shame to see how the hospital has been held back from its full potential under successive governments since that time.
“Today, the hospital is operating at thirty beds below capacity, and, in fact, it has never provided more than 54 beds.
“I understand that 8 residential and 8 short-stay beds are temporarily closed due to lack of staff. Four to five additional nurses supported by healthcare assistants are all that is needed to re-open these beds.
“The fact the hospital has never delivered on its full potential is a disgrace. We have a facility in Dingle where people could get care without travelling to Tralee. This would significantly ease the burden on University Hospital Kerry, which remains in crisis,” he said.
“In light of Covid and events such as Storm Barra, it is beyond me why Minister Donnelly and the HSE are not urgently addressing these issues. Staffing Ospidéal Pobal Chorca Dhuibhne must be a priority to ensure that West Kerry can avail of the healthcare it was promised some 13 years ago now,” he concluded.
