Donegal Minister Charlie McConalogue has said the hospital meetings attended by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly in Letterkenny on Friday were extremely positive.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, who accompanied Minister Donnelly during his meetings with GPs, consultants, and Letterkenny University Hospital management and staff, said: “After receiving letters from the consultants at Letterkenny University Hospital and GPs in the county, Minister Donnelly was keen to meet them. He was also keen to meet with the hospital staff and management.
“Based on concerns raised by the consultants and GPs, Minister Donnelly assigned the Performance Management and Improvement Unit to carry out a review at Letterkenny University Hospital.
“Their work began at the start of November and is expected to be completed by mid-December. I was with Minister Donnelly for all three meetings on Friday, and each of them proved positive and extremely worthwhile,” Minister McConalogue added.
“The Minister listened carefully to all the concerns and issues raised and indicated that he will be reverting to all three groups with updates in due course. While Minister Donnelly acknowledged that there are challenges at Letterkenny University Hospital that are going to take time to resolve, he also pushed back on the negative language being used around Letterkenny University Hospital.
“There has been an unprecedented level of investment at Letterkenny University Hospital in recent years. The hospital’s budget has increased by €44 million since 2019 – an increase of 30 per cent and now stands at €187 million. Staff numbers at the hospital have increased by 23 per cent, that’s 410 wholetime equivalents, and currently stand at 2,179. So, that means there are more doctors, nurses and therapists,” he commented.
Minister McConalogue said Friday was a momentous day for Letterkenny when the sod was turned at the site of the new 110-bed community hospital at Kilmacrennan Road directly across the road from Letterkenny University Hospital.
“This much-needed facility, which will cost €59 million, will be a tremendous asset to the health care services in Letterkenny and Donegal and represents the largest single investment in health care in Donegal for many years,” he said.
“Local company, Boyle Construction, have secured the contract, so we know the work will be top class. All going to plan, the state-of-the-art hospital is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2026.”
Main pic: Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine, Charlie McConalogue and Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, pictured at the sod-turning ceremony for the new 110-bed community hospital in Letterkenny on Friday.
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