A number of councillors agreed to write to the HSE to prioritise the replacement of consultant surgeon, Dr Tom McMcCormack at University Hospital Kerry.
Dr Tom McCormack worked as a consultant surgeon at UHK until he retired in January.
Independent councillor Sam Locke raised the motion at this month's Tralee Municipal District meeting, and was supported by his fellow councillors.
Cllr Locke says it’s not acceptable that patients are being sent to Cork for appointments.
He believes the HSE is dealing with the issue in a flippant manner.
Fianna Fáil councillor Mikey Sheehy says the number of available consulting roles in UHK is concerning.
He says it can take up to 9 months to recruit a consultant; he also says the same process in the private sector takes 25% of that time.
Cllr Sheehy says it’s red tape bureaucracy gone mad.
Cllr Deidre Ferris says the South South West Hospital Group needs to put a huge body of work into filling UHK’s vacant consultant roles.
The Sinn Féin councillor doesn’t accept that the recruitment process is the issue.
