Today in the Dáil I questioned An Taoiseach as to why Public Health doctors will have no roll in ensuring that school children are antigen tested. The option of antigen testing is ONLY made available to classmates IF parents report a positive case to schools. But it is questionable if schools can even do this under GDPR without the input …
Portiuncula overcrowding compounded by failure to deliver beds – Naughten
Last week 93 patients spent the night on a trolley in Portiuncula University Hospital, Ballinasloe, “which is at least in part due to the failure to provide 12 new isolation beds that were to be opened last April” says local TD Denis Naughten. “Even though it is one of the smaller acute hospitals, in the last week Portiuncula has become …
Naughten welcomes recruitment of additional neurology nurses
The recruitment of additional neurology nurses for Galway University Hospitals has been raised by local TD Denis Naughten in Dáil Éireann . The issue has come to the fore as part of a national campaign organised by the Neurological Alliance of Ireland aimed at increasing the number of neurology nurses at hospitals around the country, and particularly in the …
Carers cannot be forgotten in Budget – Naughten
Cathaoirleach of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection Denis Naughten TD has said it is “imperative that family carers are not forgotten when it comes to reforms required to our Social Welfare system as part of Budget 2022”. “This Budget must not be about giving a little bit to everybody, but it must be about structural reforms to our …
Naughten urges progress on Portiuncula Hospital projects
The urgent need to progress a number of projects at Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe – including a replacement scanner and new modular emergency department and outpatient waiting room – has been raised with the HSE by local TD Denis Naughten. Denis Naughten had previously raised the need for a new CT scanner at the hospital when it emerged 12 months ago …
CMO advice must be scrutinised
Today, I highlighted a discrepancy in the way that Covid 19 infection information is managed in schools which potentially exposes people who are immunocompromised. While the Chief Medical Officer’s advice earlier this week stated that a Public Health Risk Assessment will still be carried out to protect vulnerable children in special schools, no such assessment will be carried out …
Tender for new Portiuncula 50 bed ward to be advertised next week – Naughten
The tender for the new 50 bed ward block at Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, will be advertised next week, local TD Denis Naughten has confirmed. The project was due to go to tender earlier this year but is now expected to be advertised on the e-Tenders website on 30th September. Deputy Naughten was informed that the delay had been “primarily due …
Plans to address broadband bottlenecks mothballed since project started – Naughten
The Mobile Phone & Broadband Taskforce, established to address key bottlenecks in the delivery of vital broadband infrastructure across the country, has failed to meet since the contract with National Broadband Ireland (NBI) was signed in November 2019. This, in part, has contributed to the significant delays in the project delivery, claims Denis Naughten TD. “Based on current estimates from …
€11,000 for local forest access – Naughten
Denis Naughten TD, Cathaoirleach of the Dáil Rural & Community Development Committee, has welcomed the allocation of €11,000 to improve access to Coillte forests in Ballygar and Correen outside Ballinasloe. A sum of €7,000 has been allocated to replace the foot bridge in Aghrane/Ballygar forest with the provision of a new trail to the children’s burial ground. A further €4,000 …
Minister knows nothing when it comes to Long Covid
The Minister for Health has confirmed in a Dáil reply to me this evening that he has no idea how many people have Long-Covid symptoms or the incidence rate of Long-Covid in the population. In fact the Department does not even have an agreed definition of what Long-Covid is, yet it is clear that there are many people across the …