NTPF stats prove need for Surgical Hub in Letterkenny – Mac Lochlainn

It’s emerged that almost €29 million was paid out to private hospitals in 2023 and 2024 under the National Treatment Purchase Fund to reduce the elective in-patient and day-case surgery waiting lists at Letterkenny University Hospital.

Deputy Padraig MacLochlainn says with the controversy growing over the crisis in surgical provision at LUH, it’s wrong that money which should be invested in the public hospital is instead being handed over to private hospitals and other private providers.

He says these figures are further evidence of why there should be a Surgical Hub at Letterkenny………..

Statement in full –

Tens of millions of euro paid out to private hospitals while Letterkenny University Hospital remains in crisis- Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

With the controversy growing over the crisis in surgical care at Letterkenny University Hospital with growing demands for a Surgical Hub to be located at the hospital, Donegal Sinn Féin TD, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has revealed that almost €29 million was paid out to private hospitals in just two years (2023 and 2024) via the National Treatment Purchase Fund, from the outsourcing of waiting list elective in-patient and day-case surgeries at Letterkenny University Hospital.

Deputy Mac Lochlainn said:

“These figures that I have received say it all. There is a severe crisis in surgical care at Letterkenny University Hospital that threatens the ability of the hospital to operate an Emergency Department in the time ahead. This crisis is due to years of neglect and the systematic underfunding of our major hospital in Donegal. 

Rather than investing in a Surgical Hub at Letterkenny that would reduce our long waiting lists and attract the surgeons, doctors and nurses that we need, our government has handed almost €29 million to private hospitals to carry out procedures on Donegal patients that should be carried out in Donegal. In 2023, they handed over €13,270,927 and in 2024, that amount increased to €15,692,429. In 2020, the amount paid out was €1,081,165 so these increases in recent years are astonishing”. 

“We are tired of the neglect of Letterkenny University Hospital. We are tired of money that should be invested in our public hospital being handed away to private hospitals and other private providers.

These figures are further evidence of why we must have a Surgical Hub at Letterkenny”.

ENDS

To ask the Minister for Health the amount of money paid to private hospitals via the NTPF from the outsourcing of waiting list elective in-patient and day-case surgeries at Letterkenny University Hospital, for the years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.