A number of staff at Letterkenny General Hospital whose clothing was damaged or destroyed during last year’s flooding have NOT yet been compensated.
Flashback – the flood at the hospital last year. Donegaldaily.com
The HSE agreed to compensate staff for damaged shoes and other clothing when they rushed to help clean up the hospital during the chaotic scenes of July last year.
A total claim of €22,000 was put in by hundreds of staff as part of the overall estimated €40M claim agreed with insurance assessors to repair and rebuild the hospital.
The staff were also asked to forward claims for items damaged in their lockers at the hospital.
However Donegal Daily has learned that a number of staff have still not received their payments more than a year later.
A spokesperson for the HSE has said that a number of the payments have been made but admitted others are still being processed.
Sinn Fein Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn said it is unfair that frontline staff, who responded so magnificently on the day of the original flood, should be forced to wait so long to have a claim processed.
“I just think it is mean-spirited. Workers responded magnificently on that day and asked for nothing in return.
A scene from the flooded hospital last summer donegaldaily.com
“They are rightly entitled to some form of reimbursement for personal items damaged or destroyed as they volunteered with no request for payment.
“If there is an issue over the payments then the HSE should meet with staff and let them know what these issues are.
“In fairness these same staff showed loyalty when the hospital was partially flooded again last week and volunteered their services once more.
“No matter what the issues are over these payments, the HSE should come out an explain why some staff have not received them,” he said.
Donegal Daily is still awaiting a specific response from the HSE with regard to the exact number of staff still awaiting their payments and other issues we put to them.
A spokesman said they have forwarded our queries to management at Letterkenny General Hospital and that they are awaiting a full response.
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