I am critical of the HSE and Department of Health for their inability to provide services within the new Primary Care Centre in Tuam.
“The Primary Care Centre is opened to the public for over 2 years. The local Community Healthcare West Primary Care team are trying to install x-ray facilities and an Audiology testing facility into the building”.
These proposals must get the approval of the PPP Company prior to any of the services being installed. This approval will require a formal alteration of the existing contract.
“It is ludicrous that the Department of Heath have overseen a contract process which has given control of the building and it uses to a PPP Company who can then decide what services are delivered in our Primary Care Centres”.
“The installation of x-ray facilities would allow for over 2,000 x-rays to be carried out in Tuam annually. This would substantially reduce the number of people needing to travel into UCHG from Tuam and North Galway. The same is true of Audiology testing services.”
“There needs to be a serious examination of how these PPP contracts are drawn up. We cannot repeat the same mistakes again. Public money is being used to build these facilities, so we need to retain control of how we use such buildings now and into the future”.