MANAGEMENT at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) were not in a position to say when elective surgery would resume at the Dooradoyle campus.
Elective surgery was cancelled on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week at UHL, after the peak surge capacity protocol was triggered on account of massive hospital overcrowding, with 143 admitted patients waiting for an in hospital bed on Monday, 115 on Tuesday, and 99 on Wednesday.
A statement on behalf of the hospital said that UHL is “currently experiencing extremely high demand and we are appealing to the public to consider all care options before presenting at our emergency department”.
“We have been caring for an exceptionally high number of unwell medical patients in the hospital, and the emergency department has seen its highest week of emergency presentations since the beginning of the year.
“UHL is currently at its highest state of escalation, surge capacity has been opened at UHL and across our hospitals. Scheduled activity across all sites has been deferred and will remain under review, with only urgent and time-critical patients, including cancer patients, going ahead”.
When the Limerick Post enquired on Wednesday about elective surgery resuming, a spokesman said that “while elective activity is reviewed on a daily basis, and this continues during periods of peak demand for emergency care, the decision to defer is a more fluid situation, and changes from day to day, and sometimes within the day as well.”
The spokesman said the hospital will provide updates as soon as the situation changes.
