A CANDLELIT vigil remembering patients who have died having languished on trolleys in the persistently-overcrowded University Hospital Limerick is to take place outside the entrance of the hospital this Sunday (December 17).
The Mid West Hospital Campaign (MWHC) group, who have consistently called for the reopening of 24-hour accident and emergency units in Clare, north Tipperary, and Limerick city and county, announced the vigil this week.
The group announced the vigil in a statement released after the HSE apologised to the family of Aoife Johnston, from Shannon, County Clare, a 16-year old girl who died of sepsis and meningitis having spent 12 hours on a trolley at UHL.
A damning UHL internal review, which was provided to Ms Johnston’s family in recent days, found “serious failings” in her care at UHL prior to her death there on December 19 last.
The report found Aoife waited 12 hours in UHL’s severely overcrowded emergency department and was not treated for sepsis until it was too late.
The review also found that delays in her treatment breached national guidelines on sepsis management.
A number of patients have died at the hospital over the years against the backdrop of overcrowding in the Limerick hospital, which has the only 24-hour emergency department for a catchment of 400,000.
In 2009, 24-hour emergency department units in Clare, Nenagh, and St John’s hospitals were reconfigured to UHL.
“We cannot allow this to keep happening,” the MWHC group said.
The group said its vigil would take place outside the entrance gates of UHL at 2pm on Sunday December 17.
“This vigil is to remember the thousands who have spent time in the emergency department lying on trolleys and sitting on chairs in an overcrowded and dysfunctional emergency department,” it said.
The group said that its members and others have grown increasingly concerned at health provision in the Mid West.
It said that, despite political promises to mitigate the trolley crisis at UHL, “the numbers on trolleys have increased throughout the year”.
“Political parties both in government and opposition have not and will not commit to reopening our emergency departments as evidenced by their own words in the media, at committee meetings including the recent appearance of this campaign at the Petitions and Ombudsman Committee,” it said.
“They have chosen instead to stand with the medical experts, HSE, and the management at UHL, which has failed our communities time and time again.”
“This week, the Johnston family from Shannon have finally got the UHL report on the death of their daughter in UHL on 19th December 2022. The report was delivered just prior to Aoife’s first anniversary despite the family being promised it would be available within three months.”
“We cannot allow this to keep happening. All are welcome to attend the vigil on Sunday. Bring your candles, torches, etc.”
