A consultant surgeon at Tralee General Hospital has claimed that patient care in the county is in a "perilous state", with some cancer patients going undiagnosed, as a result of Government under-funding.
Dr Tom McCormack said the first legal case is being taken by a cancer patient who was not diagnosed. He said people are dying because cancer surgery was delayed.
In a strong letter to Fianna Fáil TD Mr Tom McEllistrim, Dr McCormack said he found it hard to believe that "you are so out of touch with health services in Kerry that you don't realise how bad things are in Tralee General Hospital". He listed a catalogue of ward closures, under-funding and under-staffing and growing waiting lists at the second-largest of the Southern Health Board's seven acute hospitals.
Tralee General was underfunded by €2.5 million in 2003. This year, so far, it was underfunded by some €1.5 million, he said. "We are closing a ward for three months in the summer because we don't have enough money to allow for staff locums when they are on holidays."
No non-urgent patients would be seen during the summer as a result of the closure.
A day ward has been built and equipped but has not been used because there is no money for staff. Elderly patients with broken hips and patients who have needed major surgery for cancer have had their surgery delayed because of lack of intensive care beds.
The hospital recently got money for a third obstetrician, a general surgeon and an orthopaedic surgeon "years after similar appointments have been made in equivalent size hospitals", and when these other hospitals were now getting their fourth consultant, he said.
"As an elected representative in Government, I feel that you should be doing a lot more to improve the perilous state of patient care in Kerry," he ended his letter which is copied to all Kerry TDs.
Mr McEllistrim has denied being out of touch with the needs of the hospital. He has referred Mr McCormack's letter to the Minister for Health, Mr Martin. The Government was committed to the development of the hospital and it had made a number of investments recently, including a commitment to an €8.5 million nursing unit, he said.
Consultants have called an emergency meeting with GPs in Kerry to discuss the closure of beds at the hospital while patient numbers have increased.