Health Services Dail Éireann — 2026-09-30 ============================================================ Kieran O'Donnell (FG), Limerick City Once again, I thank Deputies Michael Murphy and Mattie McGrath for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, on the need for strengthened ophthalmology services in south Tipperary. I will make sure to let her and the officials in the Department know the specific views that were made here today in the House on behalf of their constituents in south Tipperary. While recruitment of a permanent consultant has been challenging, I wish to assure the Deputies that sustained and proactive efforts are ongoing. A further recruitment campaign is now progressing and, informed by previous experience, it is focused on securing a successful appointment. In parallel, there has been progress on service delivery. The expansion of multidisciplinary teams, including additional optometry and orthoptic resources will help improve access and patient flow. Collaboration with University Hospital Waterford is also delivering practical benefits through the evaluation of waiting lists and the provision of additional clinics. Taken together, these actions demonstrate a co-ordinated focused response. Urgent cases continue to be managed to ensure that patients with the greatest needs are protected while long-term solutions are advanced. The HSE remains fully committed to restoring a sustainable ophthalmology service in south Tipperary and will continue to pursue all available recruitment and service delivery options to achieve this objective as a matter of priority. Like Deputies Murphy and McGrath, the Minister for Health's clear objective remains the appointment of a permanent consultant and the full restoration of ophthalmology services for south Tipperary. Work continues, including interim arrangements, to achieve this. I will personally bring the points made by both Deputies here today back to the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, and departmental officials. The Minister for Health and I respect the mandate of the Deputies to come in here and represent their constituents in this particular matter. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-30/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-09-30