THE future for St. John’s Hospital has been called into question following the rumoured closure of the ground floor and further beds, with a local deputy insisting that the services at the hospital are needed now, more than ever.
And the hospital’s acting CEO John Cummins warned: “We don’t know what will happen next year…we could all be gone”.
Deputy Jan O’Sullivan TD, said while the ground floor was closed for most of last year, she “would not be surprised if it were to close again”.
“Its a crazy situation to be in at the moment”, Deputy O’Sullivan told the Limerick Post, “closing wards because of cutbacks when the health service is under additional pressure due to swine-flu, and the expected cuts as a result of the budget, doesn’t make sense.
“St. John’s provide a wonderful service but there is no logic in closing acute hospital beds and bringing patients in through A&E, putting this service under extra pressure”.
She added that the substantial sums that have been reportedly paid out in sick pay to HSE workers, could cover the cost of keeping numerous beds open.
A long-term patient at the hospital told the Post that, while he owes his life to staff at St. John’s, “ morale is in the gutter, as they do not know what the future holds”.
He questioned if the hospital would “follow in the footsteps of Barringtons”.
Deputy chief executive at St. John’s, John Cummins, said that he was not aware of plans to close the ground floor, but that it remains to be seen what the future for the hospital will be, following December’s budget.
“We just received funding to reopen the ground floor in July of last year, and I am not aware of any plans for its closure. But we don’t now what will happen next year. We could all be gone”.
Deputy O’Sullivan is to raise a parliamentary question regarding the future for St. John’s Hospital.
