Fine Gael TD for Kildare South, Martin Heydon, has today (Thursday) raised the matter of Naas Hospital in the Dáil with Minister for Health Leo Varadkar. He received a commitment from the Minister in relation to protecting Naas Hospital against additional demands due to any possible changes at Portlaoise Hospital and he also called for additional capacity at Naas.
“The recent report regarding the review of services at Portlaoise Hospital has implications for Naas Hospital and so I have raised the matter with the Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar in the Dáil.
“Already in the last week we have seen Naas A&E being inundated, even though it is already under severe pressure. Minister Varadkar gave me a commitment that no decision will be made in relation to services at Portlaoise without a clear and credible plan to provide additional capacity in Naas, Tallaght and Tullamore Hospitals.
“During the Dáil debate I also called for the planned construction of the endoscopy unit and day ward at Naas Hospital to be brought forward to 2015 instead of commencing in 2016 as planned. I also called for consideration to be given to building additional wards, during the construction phase for the endoscopy unit, to alleviate the pressure currently being experienced in Naas.”