Concerns over dental health service future
Serious concerns have been expressed at a ‘chipping away’ of services in Ballinasloe’s Portiuncula Hospital, following confirmation this week that dental facilities located there are to be ‘deferred for a period of time’.
East Galway Fianna Fáil TD, Anne Rabbitte, told the Connacht Tribune she had been informed that the dental service at Portiuncula would be stopping from Friday, October 13 next.
Deputy Rabbitte has been informed in a letter from the HSE that ‘due to current staffing levels and an increase in emergencies’ they [HSE] had to reorganise provision of dental services in Galway for a period of time.
“In order to facilitate this, we will focus our service in Loughrea and Merlin Park – the service from Portiuncula will be deferred for a period of time until these resources are approved and in place. It is our full intention to resume this service (Portiuncula) at that point,” the HSE reply stated.
According to Deputy Rabbitte, the dental service provided at Portiuncula, was ‘excellent’ and one which was used widely by a range of patients from children through to adults.
“This dental surgical unit is a very important part of the overall network of care provided at Portiuncula. For example, the service provides in-hospital extractions for patients who need such a procedure to be carried out before having an operation.
“What worries me about Portiuncula is the gradual chipping away of services at the hospital. Only recently we learned of the mortuary closure and now we hear of the deferral of dentistry services – this trend is worrying for the hospital,” said Deputy Rabbitte.
She said that over the coming weeks, she would be keeping a particularly ‘close eye’ to see if any more cuts to services at Portiuncula were being proposed.
“Given its geographical location, Portiuncula provides a vital patient service not only to East Galway and Roscommon but also to a significant part of the Midlands.
“Instead of services being cut, I strongly feel that services at Portiuncula are in need of further expansion.
“The last thing we need is more and more people from the East Galway and surrounding areas being sent to Galway city for services that can be provided in Ballinasloe,” said Deputy Rabbitte.
She said that one of the big fears was that when a facility like the dental service was removed, that it might never come back into the future.