It is reported today that simple background checks were not carried out on an incompetent junior doctor who secured work here in Donegal despite having already failed a competence test abroad.

The junior doctor, who was hired to work at Letterkenny General hospital,  had already failed an exam for a similar job abroad.

According to the Irish Independent 31 year-old Dr Asia Ndaga, who qualified as a doctor in Romania in 2008, did not get enough points in a multiple-choice entrance exam for acceptance to a training post in one of that country’s hospitals.

Despite this, she was able to secure a post as senior house officer at Letterkenny General Hospital  last year.

She was dismissed after just six weeks.

A recent fitness-to-practise inquiry revealed how Dr Ndaga could not even take a pulse reading and had difficulty communicating with patients in English.

The revelations are to have raised anxiety levels amongst patients as the HSE struggles to fill junior-doctor positions across the country.

An Post is promising to reopen the post office at Laghey as quickly as possible once an investigation has been completed.

Donegal South West Deputy Thomas Pringle says hundreds of customers in the Laghey area have been left without adequate post office services for the last three weeks, since a sign suddenly appeared on the window of the post office saying it was shut due to circumstances beyond An Post’s control.

The Independent Deputy met with An Post last evening, and was told an investigation is ongoing, and once it has been completed, the post office should reopen.

He says he wasn’t told what the nature of the investigation is:

It’s emerged that Letterkenny General Hospital could be upgraded to regional status without a name change.

As budgetary shortfalls loom, Health Minister Dr James Reilly has confirmed he is looking at a possible reclassification of the hospital, which would allow management charge private patients and insurance companies more.

Hospital Manager Sean Murphy says the issue was raised with the minister during his visit to the hospital this week, and an early decision could be made.

He says it can be done quite easily, with no need for the expense of a name change:

Motorists travelling to Croke Park via the N3 for this evening’s All Ireland Quarter Final clash with Kildare are being advised to allow extra time for their journies.

An agriculture show in Virgina County Cavan will lead to delays af at least half an hour in the town all day today.

Gardai say diversions are in place around the town, but they will lengthen the journey time by at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile Gardaí are reiterating their road safety message this bank holiday weekend.

Chief Superintendent Gabriel McIntyre says drivers have a tendency to become more complacent when the weather is dry and bright:

A Donegal solicitor has criticised receivers acting for National Irish Bank for attempting to have developer Brendan Gildea who is seriously ill jailed for contempt of court.

Brendan Gildea Ltd of Magherennan was taken into receivership on May 30 this year after failing to repay debts of €6.4m, and since then, questions have been raised about €1.6m which was transferred into an account in the Isle of Man.

Proceedings linked to that are ongoing in the High Court, with the receivers claiming Mr Gildea is in contempt of court for refusing to provide information.

Today, the application to have him jailed was refused in the High Court.

Mr Gildea’s solicitor is Darren Gibson………….

The Manager of Letterkenny General Hospital says there is no scope to make savings by reducing elective surgery, because only a very small proportion of the hospital’s admissions are elective ones.

Sean Murphy says last evening’s meeting with Dr James Reilly was a constructive one, but the minister remained clear that no more money will be provided in the current year.

Speaking to Highland Radio News today, Sean Murphy said that means that service reductions are inevitable, and the challenge is to find a way to cut services in a way that has minimal impact on patient care.

The Head of the HSE Cathal Magee said recently that Letterkenny General is doing too much and needs to cut back on its activity.

Sean Murphy says that’s easier said than done……..

With Donegal still to announce their starting line up for Saturday’s clash with Kildare, fears of Captain Michael Murphy missing out on the All Ireland Quarter Final have been allayed. The Glenswilly man sat out training this week with a hamstring problem but he is expected to be ok for Croke Park. According to Friday’s Donegal News, county sources have said Murphy will line out on the edge of the square. Paddy Mc Grath, Neil Mc Gee and Mark McHugh also sat out training on Tuesday but all three will be available to start on Saturday. St. Eunan’s pair Rory Kavanagh and Kevin Rafferty have recovered from the respective ankle and groin injuries, while Dermot Molloy has also overcome a knee problem.

Donegal Manager Jim Mc Guinness is confident his side will put up a good showing.
 

Fishery Officers tasked with staming out poaching along the Lifford and Strabane river banks have been attacked with knives, hatchets and breeze blocks.

A Loughs Agency official said a member of his staff could have been killed when a breeze-block was dropped from a bridge onto a patrol boat.

The incident, at Lifford Bridge was one of a number of recent attacks on workers carrying out anti-poaching patrols in the Foyle area.

The agency’s director of conservation and protection, John McCartney, said workers had been assaulted and had stones thrown at them..

Tyrone manager Mickey Harte has named an unchanged team for Saturday’s All-Ireland SFC Qualifier clash with Roscommon at Croke Park. Attacker Stephen O’Neill misses out for the third successive game due to injury, with midfielder Aidan Cassidy, who missed last weekend’s win over Armagh, also sidelined by a hamstring problem. Sean O’Neill, who made his first championship start in the win over the Orchard men, retains his place at wing back.
Tyrone: P McConnell, M Swift, Joe McMahon, R McMenamin, Sean O’Neill, C Gormley, P Jordan, K Hughes, S Cavanagh, C Cavanagh, B McGuigan, P Harte, T McGuigan, M Donnelly, K Coney.

A group of local residents in West Donegal is vowing to boycott the new Household Tax and begin a campaign of mass non-payment when the charge comes in in January.

Local activist Míchael Mc Giolla Easbuig is involved in the campaign, which has come out of a number of meetings over the past number of weeks.

While he himself is closely involved with the group Eirigi, he says this campaign is not linked to any group.

Mr Mc Giolla Easbuig says it’s an organic campaign which has grown from the community……