Tipperary Independent TD Mattie McGrath has given a cautious welcome to the proposed plans by Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly, to reorganise the hospital system into six national groups.

Each group will include at least one major teaching hospital with a full range of services, which will maximise the range of services available to the population within each group and minimise the need to refer patients between the hospital groups.

Speaking after it became clear that the setting up of the hospital groups will lead to, among other things, the establishment of a hospital trust, which will allow for the introduction of Universal Health Insurance, Deputy McGrath said: “The proposed realignment of South Tipperary General with Cork University Hospital is to be welcomed and I look forward to what has the potential to be a very productive working relationship between both institutions.

“It is my fervent wish however that this reconfiguration will also take full account of the vital role played by South Tipperary General in delivering an outstandingly high level of maternity services, services which must be maintained at the other end of this process,” he said.

SOUTH EASTERN SERVICES

Although there had been serious concern expressed about future services in Waterford Regional Hospital and a possible downgrading, those fears have now been addressed by boosting the number of consultants at the hospital and its academic links with UCC.

“The South East region needs a vibrant and thriving hospital system, where centres of excellence ought to be maintained wherever possible. To that end, I am delighted that the future of Waterford Regional now looks more secure given, from what I understand, will be the recommendations of the Higgin’s Report.

“This has been a very anxious time for the people of the South East, but as it stands at the moment we can be cautiously optimistic that the existing potential of both Waterford Regional and South Tipperary General will now be maximised rather than diluted as part of a cost saving exercise,” Deputy McGrath said.

FOCUS ON PATIENTS

Deputy McGrath added that while this is a huge undertaking to change the structure of the hospital system, they need to be careful that it does not become a huge mistake.

“We have seen how the implementation of the HSE structures on the old system has caused enormous chaos. This cannot be allowed to happen here. If we make haste slowly and keep the focus on the interests of patients, then hopefully we will be in a better place in terms of the effective delivery of quality health care,” concluded Deputy McGrath.

The details of the reconfiguration which the Minister has described as being the ‘greatest transformation of the hospital system since the foundation of the State’ were set to unfold as the week progressed.