Willie Penrose TD

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Longford/Westmeath General Hospital delays will not be tolerated

Issued : Tuesday 30 August, 2005

It was with complete disbelief that I learned that yet another delay is to befall the proposed and long-awaited hospital facilities at Longford/Westmeath General Hospital. This posturing is the latest in a line of long-fingering and broken promises by this Government,” Labour’s Social Welfare Spokesperson and Deputy for Westmeath, Willie Penrose TD has said.

Deputy Penrose said: “For more than eight years we have been waiting and waiting on this much needed-facilities which were to include an operating department, general medical ward, Rehabilitation unit, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric unit, Occupational Therapy department, education facilities, general surgical wards and an Acute Psychiatric unit. Despite constantly raising the delays in the Dail, I have never received a clear and unambiguous reply as to either the commencement date or indeed the finishing date of this very important facility.

“The Government has dragged its heels for eight years on progressing this new wing. The Phase 2B extension has remained incomplete with no sign of staff, equipment or an opening date. Now we learn that Minister Harney has seen fit to sanction a further delay pending an audit to establish the scope for minimising staff and revenue consequences. This delay follows hot on the heels of her fanfared €600m capital programme announced for the health system back in June. The people of Longford and Westmeath are getting fed-up with all this talk and no action.

“There has never been a clear response from the Government on what exactly is delaying the development of the hospital wing, in fact the Government’s response has been as clear as mud. We will be establishing a local committee in the area to demonstrate against this shocking decision. We will take to the streets and we will not take this lying down until the people of Longford and Westmeath and the surrounding areas gets the health system that it deserves. Currently our two-tiered, under resourced, understaffed and over-stretched health service is akin to something from a developing country