LIMERICK Dail deputy, Willie O’Dea, has accused the Minister for Health of ignoring serious issues raised by a Limerick consultant obstetrician.
Dr Gerry Burke wrote to Dail deputies recently warning that that proposals for a new hospital management system in the mid-west region “is being designed in a way that makes failure inevitable – it is guaranteed”.
On foot of the letter, Deputy O’Dea tabled a question for the Minister what changes he intended to make in the Midwest and what he thought of Dr Burke’s concerns?
Minister James Reilly replied that he had just announced that Professor Niall O’Higgins had been appointed as Chair of the Mid-Western Regional Hospital Group, and that Noel Daly has been appointed to the role of Chair of the Galway Roscommon University Hospital Group.
“The term of the appointments is for three years and the boards of the groups will be established initially on a non-statutory basis.
“These appointments are entirely in keeping with the reform programme as well as with the recommendations of the HIQA report into Tallaght Hospital,” the Minister said.
But Deputy O’Dea said the answer does not meet the situation.
“In his response to my Parliamentary Question, Minister Reilly is showing contempt for the people of the Mid-West and in particular Dr. Burke, by utterly failing to deal with the serious concerns raised by Dr. Burke”.
