Mattie McGrath Demands Answers Over St Bridges Hospital Closure
Mattie McGrath raised the closure of St Bridges Hospital in Carrigan Chour and demanded meetings with local councillors, activists and nursing staff, saying the shutdown occurred in the middle of a pandemic. He accused the Taoiseach, the minister and a second minister of refusing to meet representatives, criticised alleged waste in HSE procurement and cited an 82,000 increase for Mr. Watt.
Allegations over hospital closure
McGrath described St Bridges Hospital as a "wonderful institution" with very good beds for step-down Covid care, cancer care and palliative care. He said the facility was taken over in March and questioned why it was closed during the pandemic.
Demand for meetings with local representatives
He said the Taoiseach and the minister had refused to meet Councillor Keillenbrook, activist groups, and the nurses and nursing staff, and demanded to know when they would meet those representatives. He also referenced meetings with Councillor Burke and colleagues in Tipperary County Council, saying local campaigners and clinical staff would not accept the closure.
Concerns about HSE spending and procurement
McGrath criticised what he called waste in HSE procurement and singled out an 82,000 increase awarded to Mr. Watt as symptomatic of wider problems. He framed the financial concerns alongside the hospital closure as part of a broader grievance with health management decisions.
Government response
In reply, the Taoiseach said he personally did not close the facility and denied refusing to meet anyone. He said the HSE sought to invest in the centre, that the building needs substantial investment and is not in a good state, and that he has no issue engaging with the HSE or with local representatives.
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Teachta, I want to raise again the closure and the unbelievable closure of St Bridges Hospital in Carrigan Chour by yourself and your minister and indeed Minister Butler and the refusal of yourself, Teachta, to meet with Councillor Keillenbrook, to meet with the activist groups, to meet with the nurses and nursing staff there or your minister to meet with them to explain why this was done in the middle of a pandemic. A wonderful institution which had clearly very, very good beds for a step down for Covid, you took it over in March and for cancer care and palliative care as well and you won't even meet with the people or the representatives and you've just done this and then you give Mr. Watt an 82,000 increase and you have so much waste with procurement in the HSE, it's just shocking what's going on in the HSE and yet you have the manners of respect to meet with Councillor Burke and his colleagues there in Tipperary County Council, the doctors, the nurses, nurses involved in the hospital and the action group, they're not going to accept this and it's not going to go away so I want to know when you're going to meet them, please. Thank you Deputy. First of all, I personally didn't close anything, certainly didn't close that facility because I wasn't involved in that decision and secondly I haven't refused to meet anybody and I don't know whether the deputies talked to the HSE locally or not, I suspect the deputies are aware of why the HSE took the action it took but that said, you know, the my understanding of the HSE wanted to invest in the centre with different purposes in mind that the facility needs a lot of investment and that in its current structures it's not in a very good state. I think deputies would agree with that and but I have no issue in engaging with the HSE, I haven't refused to meet anybody, I don't know why people assert that I have but I haven't and that remains the position. Thank you Taoiseach.
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