All we are asking for in Donegal is fair play. We are not asking for special treatment; we are asking that our citizens do not have to travel long distances for care that should be provided in their own community. We are asking that our emergency services not be allowed to collapse and that we have the necessary number of surgeons and consultants in Letterkenny University Hospital. If there is to be only one surgical hub for the north-west region, a huge region extending from the top of Donegal down into Roscommon, I imagine, and that hub is not in Letterkenny, it will be a disaster for County Donegal and our services. Those are not my words but those of the consultants. A presentation made to TDs was extremely concerning. The Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is very aware of that and I thank her for engaging at the meeting last night. We need to have absolute clarity today that no deal has been done on this. To be clear, in Donegal we are not into divide and conquer. We want Sligo and Letterkenny to have a surgical hub. We want all of the people to be treated the same. We want equal services for all of our people. The HSE has pulled services away into Galway and neglected Donegal for a long time but we are not turning this into a Sligo versus Donegal issue. We want a surgical hub and equal access for all our people. We want clarity, following the intervention from Deputy Harkin, that a deal has not been done, there will be fairness for the people of Donegal, all of the doctors and consultants will be listened to and the facts and evidence on the ground about population numbers and demand will be listened to. The final message is this. We, in Donegal, will not be neglected anymore. This is a cross-party matter now. We will not accept second-class citizenship. This issue has united us like no other health matter has done before. It needs to be sorted out. We need clarity today that we are going to get fairness in all of this.

Sentiment score: 0.11

This could not be more serious. As the Minister of State will know from his Government colleagues, we have been told this very clearly. These doctors and consultants have said publicly on local radio that our emergency services could be lost. Imagine us losing an emergency department in Letterkenny University Hospital. That is how serious our surgical services have gotten to. We are down to three permanent surgeons; it was six not that long ago. We cannot attract the level of surgeons we need. If the Minister decides the surgical hub for the north-west is in one place, Sligo, it is just a death knell. It is extremely serious. I have never seen 171 doctors, consultants and GPs, sign a letter. I do not know anywhere in this State where this has happened. That is how serious this is. I will reiterate that we are not playing the game of divide and conquer. Sligo, the north west, Donegal and all of us deserve this. There is an absolutely unique case now for a surgical hub in Letterkenny and Sligo to be delivered at exactly the same time to have the quality of services our people deserve, to protect what we have and to protect our emergency services. This is where it is at. We need that clarity between the Minister for Health and Deputy Harkin and a public statement of clarification. If it is two surgical hubs that is fine but the Government should not play divide and conquer. It needs to get its act together on this issue.

Sentiment score: -0.08