Over 100 senior doctors from Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) and local GPs have issued an urgent call for a meeting with Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to address what they describe as a critical threat to patient care and health equality in the North West.
They point out that despite being the sole hospital serving the entire county of Donegal, LUH has been excluded from consideration as the location for the new surgical hub planned by the HSE.
Instead, Sligo University Hospital (SUH) has been put forward as the sole preferred option — a decision the clinicians call “flawed, unjustified, and deeply damaging.”
“The decision to overlook LUH ignores both population need and geographic logic,” said Dr. Padraig McGuinness, GP in Donegal.
“Donegal has a larger population than the combined areas of Sligo, Leitrim, South Donegal, and Cavan. Many of our patients would face round trips of five hours or more to access elective surgical care in Sligo. That’s unacceptable and dangerous.”
Letterkenny consultants also point to long-standing underfunding and neglect of the hospital:
- LUH receives half the per-patient funding compared to SUH.
- LUH has the longest waiting times among all Model 3 hospitals.
- In the 2025 HSE Capital Programme, LUH was allocated just 0.3 per cent of the national capital budget — a figure they call “scandalous” given the hospital’s patient load.
“Patients in Donegal already face some of the worst cancer survival rates in the country due to late presentation and access issues,” said Dr. Louise Moran, Consultant in Intensive Care and Anaesthetics at LUH.
Letterkenny University Hospital
“To bypass Letterkenny again is not only medically indefensible — it’s a direct hit on patient safety and regional equality.”
The HSE has floated a proposal for an ambulatory care centre in LUH, but doctors argue this is an inadequate substitute lacking ring-fenced funding, staffing plans, or timelines.
“We need real surgical infrastructure — not vague promises,” said Mr Michael Sugrue, Consultant General Surgeon at LUH.
“Without adequate surgical resources, we simply cannot attract or retain the consultants we need. This decision risks the future of general surgery in Donegal and the long-term viability of LUH as a Model 3 hospital.”
The consultants and GPs across Donegal say they are united in their demand for a face-to-face meeting with Minister Carroll MacNeill within the next month
They also want a moratorium on final decisions regarding the hub’s location until a fair, evidence based comparison is completed; and an independent review of the HSE’s rationale for selecting SUH over LUH. “This isn’t just about a building or a budget line,” said Dr. McGuinness.
“It’s about whether Donegal patients are treated as equals in our health system. Right now, they’re not.”
The delegation say they remain available to meet the Minister in Donegal or Dublin and reiterate their call for a solution that meets the government’s own standard: equitable access to elective care for all.
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