I want to raise St. Luke's General Hospital in Kilkenny. It is a level 3 hospital with over 1,200 staff and is the seventh biggest medical centre in Ireland serving a catchment area of around 200,000 people. I am looking for an update on the new CT machine, which is vital to support patient flow. A second CT for St. Luke's will result in no downtime and allow specialised tests to be completed on-site reducing the need for patients to be transferred to another hospital, which results in long waiting times for appointments. A strong business case has been put forward and submitted for a new 86-bed accommodation block for the Dolmen wing, including 14 critical care beds, 72 single rooms, a laboratory and a pharmacy. I am looking for a commitment that this wing will be prioritised and delivered as a matter of urgency. St. Luke's is part of the HSE Dublin and South East region, but it currently has no dermatologist, no rheumatologist, no neurologist and no child psychologist, yet they all exist as part of HSE south east. I am looking for a commitment that the Government will engage with the HSE Dublin and South East for a realignment of some of those staff to Kilkenny.

Sentiment score: 0.13