The Chair of the Donegal branch of Diabetes Ireland says diabetes care in the county is in dire straits.
Paul Gillespie has told the Taoiseach in a letter sent to him today that resources at Letterkenny University Hospital have deteriorated to such a level that Type 1 diabetes patient care is now beyond critical with the situation deteriorating since meetings with Simon Harris in his role as Health Minister in 2017.
Mr Gillespie highlighted to Simon Harris the stark lack of resources available to patients in Donegal including three vacant endocrinologist posts and the fact that despite over 160 children needing care, a paediatric endocrinologist has never been in place at the hospital. He outlined how the paediatric endocrinologist in Mullingar was forced to take to the airwaves in a bid to obtain proper resources for less patients.
He says there is a lot of pain and suffering as a result:
