Efforts to finally open the yet to be commissioned bespoke maternity theatre at Letterkenny University Hospital are now being treated as a matter of priority.
Deputy Pearse Doherty has welcomed the confirmation received from both the SAOLTA University Healthcare Group and management at the hospital.
The announcement was made during the most recent meeting held at the hospital between elected members of the Oireachtas and Regional Health Forums, SAOLTA officials, and hospital management last Friday.
Speaking following the meeting Deputy Doherty, who has repeatedly called on both the Minister and the HSE to urgently commission the facility which has never been used despite having been constructed in 2004.
“I think that this confirmation which I’ve received this week from the SAOLTA group and hospital management in relation to the new maternity theatre at Letterkenny Hospital is to be very much welcomed.
“During the Oireachtas and Regional Health Forum meeting, members were informed by officials that the commissioning of the bespoke maternity theatre is now a service priority at the hospital, and efforts to open the facility will commence in line with the new national maternity strategy which has been developed by the HSE.
“Representatives from the SAOLTA University Healthcare Group stated that while it’s unlikely that the operating suite will be up and running this year, they were hopeful that significant progress will be made next year in 2018, and that this will be subject to the successful recruitment of the necessary personnel which will be needed to staff the facility.
“As many people are aware, I have been on record several times now as having raised this issue with both the Minister for Health in the Dáil and with the HSE, and I have campaigned strongly to have the theatre opened, which has remained unused ever since it was built back in 2004, where it is located adjacent to the delivery rooms at the hospital.
“Both the Minister and the HSE have previously cited budgetary constraints as the reason why the theatre was never opened however, during this morning’s meeting it was confirmed that the commissioning of the maternity operating room has now become a priority project for hospital authorities.
“This news is a major step in the right direction, and now it is crucial that the appropriate HSE clinical and other approvals are provided as a matter of urgency in order to allow this project to progress further.
“Clearly, there is a need for additional capacity at the hospital and this is reflected in the number of births which have occurred there in recent years, which have increased by from 1,677 back in 2014 to 1,754 in 2015.
“Understandably, once operational, the theatre will provide increased capacity at the hospital and will allow for greater efficiencies and will complement and enhance current maternity services at LUH for expectant mothers in Donegal.
“I will continue to monitor the progress made to deliver this project in the months ahead, and I look forward to working closely with all the relevant stakeholders with the view to finally seeing this facility opened for service users in the county.”
Tags: