Sir, – I was astonished to hear the Minister for Health James Reilly’s comments regarding his decision to place primary care centres in his own constituency. In defence of his decision he stated that Balbriggan and Swords had no direct bus route to Beaumont Hospital and used the “example” of how patients in Tallaght could access the hospital more readily.
I would like to remind the Minister of the findings of the Hiqa report into the emergency department in Tallaght which stated that the large numbers of patients attending accident and emergency was because many patients stated they had “nowhere else to go”.
I would also remind the Minister that he accepted the Hiqa findings in full.
The HSE spent in excess of €4 million fitting out Chambers House as the primary care centre for Tallaght Village but it is not being used as such. I acknowledge that many valuable child and adolescent psychiatric facilities are run from Chambers House, but this was not what was promised to the patients of Tallaght.
I would very much like to see the full deprivation index as prepared by Minister of State Róisín Shortall and see where Tallaght and its many surrounding areas scored versus Balbriggan and Swords. All the Government TDs from Dublin South West should perhaps keep in mind that the population of Fettercairn (7,000-plus) still has no GP at all and could only dream of a primary care centre. – Yours, etc,