A HEALTH campaigner who has organised numerous protests locally against the conditions and record-breaking overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick has hit out at the government over expenditure on emergency accommodation for “unvetted” asylum seekers in Ireland.
In an address at last weekend’s march on University Hospital Limerick (UHL), which saw upwards of 120 people march on the chronically overcrowded hospital, protest organiser Mike Daly suggested that “if the government can spend billions renovating hotels and buildings for refugees, then they can spend a few million modernising the three A&Es to operate as fully-functional A&Es to sort the overcrowding”.
Mr Daly’s protest called for government and management at UHL to put an end to the ongoing overcrowding crisis by reopening the emergency departments at Ennis, Nenagh, and St John’s hospitals (which were closed in 2009), as well as making a “compulsory purchase” of Bon Secours Hospital (formerly Barrington’s Hospital) on George’s Quay in Limerick City to facilitate more emergency patients – a move he describes as a “win-win”.
Mr Daly has been a strong advocate for change at UHL since 2010, when his father, Michael Daly Snr, died at the hospital at the age of 64. The Lee Estate man’s death was the subject of two inquests, which eventually saw the coroner’s court change a previous 2012 verdict of “natural causes” to “medical misadventure” March of last year.
The coroner updated the verdict and cause of death based on a review by retired state pathologist Marie Cassidy.
Mr Daly was a key figure in organising last year’s mass march through Limerick City in which 11,000 people turned out to condemn overcrowding and conditions at UHL.
As part of his address to the gathered crowds at last Sunday’s protest, Mr Daly hit out at government expenditure on emergency housing for international protection applicants – 413 of whom are housed in Limerick, according to recent figures from the International Protection Accommodation Services, a figure far lower than those reported in neighbouring Galway (1,291), Clare (696), Kerry (808), and Cork (1,550).
When asked why funding for emergency accommodation for asylum seekers in particular was a subject he wished to introduce into his public statement, Mr Daly said that he “just picked that because it’s the most current thing that’s going on at the moment. We’re seeing the refurbishment of hotels, so the point I was making was merely about money – money is available”.
Mr Daly said that he would “welcome all refugees into this country – as long as they’re vetted”.
Commenting on statements by government that all international protection applicants coming into Ireland are vetted by the State – something confirmed by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in December when he said that those entering the country are subject to registration, photographing and fingerprinting, as well as checking against European watchlists – Mr Daly said: “I don’t know that for a fact. What you hear on social media is a lot of conflicting stories and a lot of unvetted people are coming in by the busload – men, mostly men.”
“I’m just looking at videos and things online. I don’t delve too much into it.
“I’m just saying I just picked that because a lot of money is being put into hotels and things to house refugees.
“Leo Varadkar is saying they’re (international protection applicants) not unvetted, but I don’t trust that man. And I kinda trust the majority of what people say in the streets and on social media. I don’t know where the proof is, but I just don’t trust the current government.”
