New hospital beds 'are badly needed'
The recent announcement of new beds at Naas Hospital will come as some relief.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said that 48 new acute hospital beds will be put in place in Naas General Hospital.
It is part of a plan to deliver 3,352 new beds (2,997 net new hospital beds plus 355 replacement beds) in addition to the 1,015 hospital beds under construction and/or committed to.
This will bring the total number of new beds to be delivered by 2031 to 4,367.
Fianna Fáil election candidate Brian O'Loughlin said: “I warmly welcome confirmation from Minister Donnelly that there will be 48 new acute hospital beds for Naas Hospital. These new beds are much needed in the area of Naas and I know they will be of enormous comfort to families in the region.
"Healthcare for everyone is a cornerstone of Fianna Fail's approach to Health in government.
"Since 2020 we have already delivered 1,218 net additional acute hospital beds.
"We are improving access to health services, with reductions in waiting times and waiting lists, lower costs for treatment, more entitlement to free GP services than ever before, and Ireland’s first ever Women’s Health Strategy.
"We’ve cut the amount of money families need to spend on healthcare, abolished hospital charges, introduced free contraception, reduced monthly medicines bills and rolled out free IVF.
"Today's announcement is further evidence that Fianna Fáil is committed to tackling the issues we are facing in our healthcare system head-on."
Mr O’Loughlin is bidding to win a seat serving the Kildare local electoral area. Former councillor Anne Connolly has stood down.