.
THE DEXA Scan service at University Hospital Kerry is about to reopen.
Deputy John Brassil, Fianna Fail’s junior spokesperson on Primary Care, Community Health services, held discussions with hospital management today and has been informed that the service will begin again and begin to clear the massive backlog of Kerry patients that have been on a waiting list for this particular scan service.
A DEXA scanner is used to measure bone density and helps doctors to evaluate bone health and determine the likelihood of osteoporosis or bone fractures.
Continued below…
.
Brassil described it as a win for the Kerry patients who are waiting on these scans. “Having a machine that is worth so much money just sitting idle in University Hospital Kerry makes no sense. Today’s announcement is to be welcomed,” he said.
John Brassil, who will be advocating for a health related ministerial position at the cabinet table should Fianna Fail lead the next government, credited Councillor Mikey Sheehy who works in Brassil’s office for continually raising this issue.
“Mikey sits on the Southern Health Forum and has been fighting this case with me for some time now. This news is well overdue and I would like to see UHK move to clear the existing waiting list as soon as possible.”
The scanner was bought by the Friends of Kerry General Hospital in 2014. It had been lying idle for two years, as there were no radiographers to operate it. An increasing shortage of radiographers resulted in the suspension of the service in late 2017. €110,000 was fundraised for the purchase of the machine for UHK.
