Wexford town Labour Party local election candidate Joe Ryan says that the solution to delivering decent services in pathology in the South East is to re-open the moth-balled pathology unit at Wexford General Hospital.
Mr Ryan says that next-of-kin of deceased are rightly concerned at the news that loved ones who had passed away were not treated in death with the dignity they deserved.

Labour election candidate Joe Ryan is calling for the pathology unit at Wexford General Hospital to be re-opened.

Mr Ryan said that Brendan Howlin as Minister for Health provided money to build a state-of-the-art pathology unit at Wexford in the 1990’s. However, as pathologists were based in Waterford a reluctance to travel to Wexford subsequently developed and pathologists wanted a roster to allow weekends off. As a result any person in the south east who died and required a post mortem is removed to Waterford University Hospital where all pathology has been carried out since the early noughties.
Mr Ryan said; “The pathology unit is still here in Wexford General and should be used. I find it difficult to understand that pathologists would prefer to work in a sub-standard working environment with poor facilities in Waterford when there are better facilities at Wexford General Hospital. I understand that the State Pathologist is happy to work at these facilities. If the Wexford General Hospital pathology facility is capable of hosting work that can be subjected to legal scrutiny in the courts, why is it that the HSE doesn’t use these facilities for general pathology?”
Mr Ryan concluded; “This matter can be quickly and humanely resolved without resolution to spending more if the HSE uses efficiently the resources it already has. I am calling on the Health Minister Simon Harris to intervene and re-open the pathology unit at Wexford General Hospital and resolve this issue.”