A  Cllr. Valerie Duffy addressed the meeting regarding Portiuncula Hospital:

“Portiuncula Hospital not only serves the community of Ballinasloe but also the surrounding counties and regions of Roscommon, Westmeath, Offaly, Tipperary, and Galway.

News broke 2 weeks ago regarding the Maternity Services in Portiuncula University Hospital, Ballinasloe and the challenges that have been encountered there.

12 reviews into maternity services at the hospital have been sought – 5 of which have been completed with 34 recommendations.

I am deeply concerned that no high-risk mothers can have babies in Portiuncula Hospital in the long-term. This has potentially huge knock-on implications for Portiuncula Hospital and for the women who currently and in the future will hopefully avail of its services.

It is envisaged that up to 25% of women will now be transferred away from Portiuncula Hospital given their need for specialist services – somewhere between 200 and 300 women. This when in 2024, 1,300 babies were born in PUH and PUH was 11^th out of 19 hospitals in terms of births.

My fear is that an initial downgrading will lead to a bigger shift as women and their families who are not at high risk, move elsewhere, just in case their pregnancy status changes. We all know that there are no guarantees with pregnancy. This decision will also force women from Roscommon to travel longer journeys which could see them travel to Dublin, Portlaoise, Mullingar or Galway City.

I completely recognise that women and their babies must be safely cared for and the highest standards should be in place. I sympathise with the mothers and families who are the basis for these hospital reviews, and I hope that they are getting the support that they need.

Everything should and must be done to ensure the highest standards and procedures are in place in Portiuncula Hospital and that the maternity services there continue, for everyone – for all women, regardless of their pregnancy status.

I would ask that full funding be provided by the appropriate authorities to tackle all of the issues identified in the current and past reviews - Clinical care, Governance, Communication, and Infrastructure at the Unit.

I know that my fellow councillors here today are of one mind on this issue, that Portiuncula Hospital must continue to provide the necessary and vital services to meet the needs of our collective communities. We will need to work together as a political group in the Athlone MD and across the county of Roscommon and, work together with our colleagues in Galway, and with colleagues in the HSE West and Northwest area, to ensure this work gets done. What happens in Portiuncula has the ability to inform how government policy develops and is implemented across Ireland.”

Cllr V Duffy thanked the Members for their support.

On the Proposal of:   Cllr L Fallon

         Seconded by:   Cllr V Duffy

It was AGREED by all the Members to bring a motion to the next Plenary meeting, to write to the Minister for Health- Ms. Jennifer Carroll MacNeill requesting that funding be provided to implement the recommendations from the reviews for services upgrade to ensure continued services.  Provision of adequate numbers of consultants and staff to facilitate upgrading of the services for the growing population in the surrounding areas adjacent to  Portiuncula Hospital.

B  Susan Loughnane presented correspondence attached from Greener Ideas limited in relation to road works at Monksland, Athlone on R362 associated with the Monksland Peaker Power Plant.