Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy. I am sorry to hear about the experience that lady had with her mother. We are committed to improving services in the mid-west region. A lot of additional funding has been allocated to UHL by this Government to achieve that. The budget has increased by 59%, to the tune of an additional €158 million, since 2019. Funding increased from €265 million to €423 million in 2023. Investment in the hospitals in the region has increased by 58%. Staffing at UHL has grown by 42%. The Minister has asked HIQA to lead a review into urgent and emergency care capacity in the mid-west region to determine whether a second emergency department is required. A lot of resources are going into this area. The Government is committed to supporting the hospital and doing all that we can.

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