A 42-bed ward is currently under construction on the Sligo University Hospital campus. This development is very welcome. However, beneath this building there will be a vacant space specifically earmarked for a future daycare oncology unit. The planned oncology day unit represents a major opportunity to expand capacity, improve patient experience and deliver safer and more timely care for cancer patients in the region. I therefore call on the Department to ensure that, by the time the 42-bed ward is completed, funding will be in place to immediately proceed with the fit-out of the oncology unit. Leaving this space idle would be a failure of planning and a missed opportunity. The infrastructure will be there and the clinical lead is already there. What is now required is the political will and financial commitment to ensure that oncology unit becomes operational without delay. The people of the north-west region urgently need this service.
My second point also concerns Sligo University Hospital. Two surgical wards for the campus have already passed all required approval stages. The HSE is now simply awaiting departmental sign-off to move to the design phase. The delay is happening against the backdrop of an unacceptable pattern of theatre shutdowns and cancelled elective surgeries caused by repeated critical infrastructure failures.
Leaks from the theatre roof and failures in radiator pipework have forced multiple closures of the orthopaedic theatre in recent months. These failures have repeatedly halted hip and knee replacement surgeries, leaving patients waiting in pain for procedures that should be routine. In February alone, five further elective operations were cancelled. This disruption came only weeks after surgeries had resumed following a suspension since December caused by bed pressure and earlier leaks.
Sligo now has some of the longest orthopaedic waiting times in the State and patients in the region are among the worst affected nationally. With ongoing cancellations and clear evidence that this existing infrastructure is no longer fit for purpose, departmental approval for the two surgical wards cannot be allowed to drift on. It is urgently required to restore safe and reliable surgical capacity for the people of the north west. Decisive action and immediate progression of this development is now essential.
Can we provide a clear guarantee that funding will be in place to fit out the new oncology day care unit? Can the Department confirm that the approval to allow the two new surgical wards to progress to the design and planning stage will be issued without further delay?
