Thomas Pringle TD
Home / Press Releases / Fianna Fáil’s solution to LUH will only increase waiting lists – Pringle

Fianna Fáil’s solution to LUH will only increase waiting lists – Pringle

student nurses

 

Press Release – June 1st 2017

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Speaking on Fianna Fáil’s Health motion in the Dáil this week, Deputy Pringle said “Fianna Fail’s only solution is to ramp up the National Treatment Purchase Fund which will end up increasing waiting lists at Letterkenny University Hospital.

“What they are proposing to do is exactly what Fine Gael have been doing all along which is pump money into the private sector, handing over more money to private consultants and private clinics all the while decreasing the funding pot for our public hospitals. This will further undermine Letterkenny’s capacity to deal with the already unacceptable waiting times.

“I deal with concerned constituents on waiting lists on a daily basis. Recently I had one constituent who turns out is on a 4 year waiting list for a lung capacity test. Another patient was triaged for an urgent orthopaedic appointment but has found out he’ll be on a 2 year waiting list.

“It’s a fiasco that over 100,000 people are waiting in outpatient clinics across the country, with over 14,000 of those waiting in Letterkenny University Hospital. This is a sad indictment of our health service and one which warrants urgent action on behalf of the Minister.

“The chronic problem of hospital overcrowding, lengthy patient waiting lists and cancelled medical procedures must be addressed by ensuring theatres are opened up to full capacity, make sure the staff are there to support the work carried out by consultants and that step-down facilities are properly invested in. We need the funding made available to empower hospital staff to tackle the waiting lists once and for all.

“Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will forever ensure that the private health sector has a prominent place in our health system. This needs to be radically overhauled to ensure that our public health system, not the private system, is properly invested in so that everyone have access to quick and affordable health services at their fingertips. This should be seen as a right, but that mentally is simply not there with the two establishment parties” concludes Pringle.

 

ENDS

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