Harris’ mixed messages on hospital

MINISTER INSISTS UHK IS NOT BEING DOWNGRADED BUT ‘UNAWARE’ OF CUTS

HEALTH Minister Simon Harris has denied there are any plans to downgrade University Hospital Kerry but admitted that he was completely unaware of planned cuts to the hospital’s x-ray and ultrasound services.

Recently GPs across Kerry were contacted by hospital and told that walk-in, same-day x-ray services would no longer be available at UHK. It has also been proposed to end the provision of ultrasounds after 5pm at the hospital.

The cuts were raised in the Dáil last Wednesday by Kerry TDs John Brassil of Fianna Fáil and Independent Michael Healy-Rae. Following a meeting with local TD’s and hospital management on Monday, Deputy Brassil moved to resassure the public that the hospital were not downgrading services and that the new changes were to ‘arrange servies in a more controlled manner’.

Deputy Healy-Rae alleged that there was a “real and serious power play to downgrade our hospital and make it nothing more than a glorified community hospital”.

Minister Harris rejected Deputy Healy-Rae’s comments but, in so doing, admitted he was unaware of the cuts:

“I thank Deputy Brassil for bringing to my attention the issue in regard to the chest walkin clinic and the ultrasound. I will talk to the chief executive of the HSE, Mr Paul Reid, in that regard. I was not familiar with this issue,” he said.

Seconds after, he insisted there are no plans to downgrade UHK.

“Not only are there no plans to downgrade it, we plan to increase its capacity further, expand the number of beds and make it even busier,” he said.