FG members clash as hospital branded ‘worst in country’

Two Fine Gael Oireachtas members have clashed over the future of Waterford Regional Hospital after one described it as “the worst hospital of its kind in the country”.

The row between Senator Michael D’Arcy from Wexford and Waterford TD Paudie Coffey comes in the run-up to a decision due to be made by the Government before Christmas on the future of hospital networks.

An expert report is believed to have recommended the break-up of the south-east hospital network and the linking of Waterford Regional Hospital and South Tipperary General Hospital with Cork University Hospital, while general hospitals in Kilkenny and Wexford would partner with teaching hospitals in Dublin.