Chai Brady
Minister Jim Daly The curate of a Donegal parish has called for the resignation of Minister Jim Daly over outstanding issues relating to three community hospitals in the county.
The situation has remained unresolved for over two years after the Government announced that the long stay bed capacity of three Donegal Community Hospitals – Lifford, Ramelton and St Joseph’s in Stranorlar – would be moved to a new multi-bed facility in Letterkenny.
Fr John Joe Duffy of Creeslough Parish said the Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People actions in relation to the hospitals was “seriously concerning and frighteningly worrying”.
Fr Duffy said the Minister “fell asleep on the issue” and that “this question on the Donegal Community Hospitals is far too serious an issue and is simply not going to go away conveniently for this Government”.
The priest has been heavily involved in the campaign to retain services at St Joseph’s and is the Chairperson of Save Our St Joseph’s Hospital Action Group.
The priest said the Minister was “spoofing” in his response to the issue and was “holding the line until he gets the new PPP community hospital at Letterkenny over the line”.
“There was neither reason nor rhyme to the Ministers statement of response to our action group’s charge that the Government had attempted to hoodwink the people and were only paying lip service to St Joseph’s hospital,” he said.
“The long stay residential and dementia accommodation units in these three Donegal hospitals will not be privatised, or centralised into one unit – what we have we will hold.”
Minister Jim Daly was contacted by this paper but did not respond before the time of print.