In the Dail on Wednesday, I again raised the need for funding to allow progress on the long promised and much needed Endoscopy Unit for Naas General Hospital.
There are currently over 1,600 patients waiting for Endoscopy services at Naas where Endoscopy services are currently carried out in one room of the old hospital. Plans for the new unit and extension also include provision for an extended day ward increasing day ward capacity from 11 beds to 25 beds.
Naas General Hospital received planning permission in January 2015 for the development of the new unit. This Project also includes the development of the Physical Medicine (Physiotherapy & Occupational Therapy) Departments and Oncology Departments. The first phase of the enabling work is completed. Enabling works for the project, primarily consisting of an upgrade to the hospital power supply system, were undertaken between 2014-2016, at a cost of €1.5m.
While all HSE approvals have been received for the development, the next step is the allocation of capital funding. The mid term review of the Capital Plan is due soon and I wanted to emphasise to the Minister again the huge need and importance of this project for the population of Kildare and West Wicklow as well as the wider Dublin Midlands hospital group of which Naas is a part.
“Minister of State Jim Daly assured me in his response that Minister Simon Harries and Department officials were very aware of this project and that their departmental submission on the capital plan had already gone to the Department of Public Expenditure. I will continue to push for this important project with my next meeting due to be Minister for Public Expenditure Pascal Donohoe.