Laois TD Sean Fleming has hit out at a letter on Portlaoise Hospital by Minister for Health Simon Harris.
Back on Monday, Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan revealed that he had received correspondence for Simon Harris stating that, if returned to government, Fine Gael have ‘no plans to reduce capacity’.
But Fianna Fail’s Fleming has branded this move as cynical.
He said: “He has refused to deal with the ongoing threat to the A&E Department in Portlaoise for the last two and half years. He must think that Laois people are fools and will accept a commitment from a Minister, who everyone knows, including himself, wants to be out the door of the Department of Health as soon as the Election is over.
“His short letter with just three sentences about the hospital in Portlaoise made no reference to the A&E Department. That says it all.
“I as a Fianna Fáil T.D. am committed that if we are back in Government it will be my 100% priority to ensure the A&E Department in Portlaoise is retained, improved and enhanced in terms of facilities and to ensure there is A&E consultant cover in the A&E Department 24 hours a day, 7 days a week which is not the situation at the moment.
“This is the number 1 priority for Sean Fleming to deliver on if I am re-elected and Fianna Fáil is in Government.”
This comes after the Portlaoise Hospital Action Group branded Minister Flanagan a ‘disgrace’ in a press release on Wednesday.
Chairman Tommy Timmons said: “The abject failure of our ‘own’ Minister, Charlie Flanagan, to deliver for the Hospital despite sharing a Cabinet table with Minister Harris for the past number of years is nothing short of a disgrace.”
