By Sabrina Sweeney 

For once, news from Dublin has brought a sense of relief as well as cautious optimism about the future of health services in the North West.

After years of petitions, long drives for various appointments, and a growing frustration among patients, clinicians and local politicians, the announcement of a new surgical hub for Letterkenny, alongside Sligo, and expanded oncology services, is a decision we should all welcome.

After a strong campaign it is the right call and it has the potential to be a turning point in how healthcare is delivered for the people of Donegal. Hospital services in the county have long been expected to operate with one hand tied behind their back. From staffing shortages to capacity issues, Donegal has had to fight harder than most to hold on to essential care.

For years, patients requiring cancer treatment beyond what was available locally have had to travel to Galway, as key oncology services remained centralised there. Many patients faced daily round trips of 300 km or more for radiotherapy and along with waiting times for surgery or treatment, it led to the feeling that Donegal is always asked to wait.

Expanding oncology services locally will save lives. But more than that, it signals recognition that Donegal’s population deserves the same standard of care and the same access to services as every other part of this country. Healthcare is not a postcode lottery. Or at least, it shouldn’t be. A surgical hub in Letterkenny makes sense for many reasons, not least in terms of its geographical location and the logistics of travel.

For too long, patients in Donegal have been expected to shoulder the burden of distance. That means early mornings on the road to Galway or Dublin and additional stress for families trying to support someone through treatment. It has also led to people delaying care, or going without it altogether. But this new commitment to the future of LUH has the potential to change that.

Welcoming the decision, however, must come with a challenge of real, meaningful change. That means proper funding, adequate staffing and a building completed without endless delays. It means investment in infrastructure and people. The Minister for Health has said the work to implement these decisions and the continued development of services at LUH will now be progressed locally, by the HSE in the northwest in collaboration with hospital management and clinicians.

The local doctors and consultants who spoke out when it was announced that Sligo was the preferred location for the surgical hub and who wrote directly to the Minister urging her to base her decision on the data, stood up not just for their colleagues but for their patients. They deserve credit. Their efforts were not political; they were professional and grounded in the reality of what they see every day. They helped shape this decision and they must continue to be central to what happens next. Too often, national policy decisions are made far from the coalface and far from Donegal.

But those working within our health system here know what is needed to make this surgical hub work. They understand the pressures on operating theatres, bed space, diagnostics, and staffing.

They have already shown leadership and they must now be listened to with the same respect they were given when they campaigned, because a surgical hub is only as effective as the system around it. The same goes for cancer care. That means joined-up thinking on transport, on cross-border cooperation, on recruitment and retention and on the basic dignity of making care local and accessible.

The people of Donegal have shown enormous patience and dignity in the face of a health system that has often overlooked them. With this announcement, the Minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, has committed to the ongoing development of LUH and in doing so has made a strong case for the importance of local engagement in understanding the needs and pressures within the county.

Let’s hope it is a turning point and not a one-off. A good decision is a good start. But good follow-through is what matters now.