The Mayor of South County Dublin Cllr Mark Ward has called on the HSE to immediately provide a GP and a comprehensive public health nurse service to the Balgaddy area. There are over 2000 residents in Balgaddy with more development planned that will see the population grow further. Mayor Ward tabled a motion at a recentmeeting of the HSE Mid Leinster Regional Health Forum and accused the HSE of supply him with an inaccurate response.
Mayor Ward said; “Balgaddy has suffered from bad planning for decades. It is an area that is annexed from North Clondalkin and South West Lucan. There is a lack of infrastructure in the area including public transport” “Residents have to travel to North Clondalkin or further afield to access a GP. I am calling for the HSE to provide a GP to the people of Balgaddy. There is no bus service to parts of Balgaddy which makes the ordeal of attending a GP more difficult” “Balgaddy has a diverse mix of young and older residents. 19% of residents are in their teens in Balgaddy compared to 8% at a national level. The needs of this community should be met” “For too long the residents of Balgaddy have suffered from bad planning, bad buildings, and bad estate management. The community has rallied and rightly demanded better. A new community centre is planned for in the next stage of development and this is widely welcomed. However a GP is desperately needed”
“I also called for a comprehensive public health nurse service to be provided. I believe the response I got from the HSE was inaccurate to say the least. They tell me that the people of Balgaddy have access to a public health nurse in Rosse Court. It is my understanding and feedback I have got from the community that this is not the case” “There is a baby nurse service in the Balgaddy Child and Family Centre. This service is 5 hours a week and is by appointment only. Residents that I have spoken to have to attend the Rowlagh Health Centre in North Clondalkin for their public health nurse needs. This is quite a distance away with poor public transport links. Rowlagh Health Centre covers Balgaddy not Rosse Court” “There are 650 houses in Balgaddy with a population of over 2000 people. For an area of this size not to have a GP service or a comprehensive public health nurse resource is not good enough. I will continue to pursue this matter”
