Tipperary Deputy Michael Lowry wants an increase in services for Nenagh hospital

Some Nenagh Hospital services to be reduced during industrial action

placeholder image — Some Nenagh Hospital services to be reduced during industrial action

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar agrees with the Independent TD

Tipperary Independent TD, Deputy Michael Lowry has called for increased services at Nenagh Hospital and says this could be a solution to the problems in Limerick.

Speaking in Dáil Éireann this week, he said:

Last Summer the Minister for Education Joe Mc Hugh agreed a package of supports for the primary schools in the town including 2 EAL posts, Inclusion in the School’s Excellence Fund, NEPS Literacy and Numeracy Interventions Training and a Family Liaison Teacher. These Interim measures were agreed by the Minister, the 5 Principals and Deputy Michael Lowry who had been negotiating on a package of supports for the schools for a number of months.

Deputy Michael Lowry

“The option to upgrade and increase the services provided at Nenagh and Ennis hospitals is an obvious way to ease this pressure. I wish to acknowledge and compliment the Management and Staff at Nenagh General Hospital for its workload, throughput and efficiency. Further investment to expand and develop services on this site is a realistic solution to the current crisis at UHL’ he stated.

Deputy Lowry also raised the matter of the provision of an Elective Hospital in Limerick, saying that it is obvious to all that the Mid-West Region needs such an investment to serve the needs of its huge population’ said Deputy Lowry.

The Tanaiste acknowledged that ‘extending and making better use of existing hospitals’, such as Nenagh, Ennis, St. John’s in Limerick and Croom Hospital, in addition to a Private Hospital that is about to be constructed in Limerick, could be ‘the solution for the Mid-West’. This new Private Hospital could be useful to us under the National Treatment Purchase Fund, he stated.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar

With regard to an Elective Hospital for Limerick, the Tanaiste said that no decision has been made at this stage by the Government in relation to this and it is ‘certainly open for consideration.’

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea at all, but I am also realistic about it. I know how long it takes to get a hospital through design, Planning and then built – you’re talking 6 years realistically’ he said, adding that using the existing hospitals could be the better option ‘rather than putting everything into an Elective Hospital which, realistically we may not see until the end of this decade,”Deputy Varadkar said.