A leading surgeon is resigning from his post in Letterkenny General Hospital after claiming he does not have the staff or resources he needs to look after his patients.

Mr Kevin Moran was appointed to the hospital as a general surgeon with a special interest in urology in the early 1990s. However after 24 years in the post, he has tendered his resignation.

Mr Moran said that he does not have access to beds, nor does he have enough access to operating theatres.

"And I can't recruit and retain the junior staff and support staff that I need," he pointed out.

As a result, the waiting time for a routine appointment is over two years, while those who need an urgent appointment face a wait of one year and four months.

He noted that in order for him to be replaced, the hospital will have to hire two people - a general surgeon and a urologist. He said that while he believes they will be able to find a locum general surgeon, the hospital ‘will have a major difficulty recruiting a urologist'.

Speaking on Newstalk Radio about Mr Moran's resignation, GP and former Fianna Fail politician, Dr Jim McDaid, expresssed concern that Letterkenny General is 'gradually being downgraded'. He said that the hospital is losing consultants through retirement and resignations and these consultants are being replaced by agency staff, often from the UK. 

He said that while these agency staff are 'good enough doctors, unfortunately that continuity is lost'.

Meanwhile, according to RTÉ, a locum consultant general surgeon is to begin at the hospital later this month until mid-April, when a temporary general surgeon will begin a one-year contract.