Fianna Fail has hit out over the delay in improvement works at Cardonagh Community Hospital in Donegal.

The work was due to begin in 2017, however it has now been pushed back until 2019.

TD Charlie McConalogue said the improvement plans for the 46-bed hospital are "much needed" and expressed disappointment over the delay.

He said: "Back in 2016 I submitted a Parliamentary Question requesting a timeline for the works and I was told that they would begin in 2017. It's now 2018 and the latest correspondence that I have received from the HSE says the contract for the works has not been awarded yet and the "subject to the availability of capital funding" construction would begin in 2019.

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"I am concerned about the vague commitment being given by the HSE to this project. We are still only at design stage when the original plan was that works would be well underway by now. The upgrade is due to include the addition of en-suite facilities to all of the bedrooms as well as new extensions to the current dining and sitting rooms. These are very important works and will copper fasten the central role that Carndonagh Community Hospital plays in catering for the needs of older people in the wider Inishowen area."

(CD/MH)