WHILE the need for a second 24-hour emergency department in the Mid West is a well-established idea and will be “delivered eventually”, what is done in the interim is critical.
That’s according to Dee Ryan, a Fianna Fáil general election candidate for Limerick City, who said that she has been touched “to her core” by the healthcare stories people have told her as she knocks on doors throughout Limerick.
“I have repeatedly called for a Model 3 hospital with a 24 hour A&E in this region, it will be delivered, and I will spare no effort to ensure Limerick gets the healthcare services it deserves,” Ms Ryan said.
“In the interim however, the measures implemented while we wait are going to be critical.
“Every second person in Limerick has a story to tell, young and old, people from all communities, from all areas, there is no discrimination, everybody has suffered, and this is simply not acceptable.”
The former Limerick Chamber CEO said that “I appreciate that St Johns, Ennis, and Nenagh (hospitals) do not currently have an ICU, or the other surgical and care facilities required to move to a 24-hour A&E model, but we simply have to make sure we continue to do more while we wait for the pledged investments to bear fruit and buildings to come out of the ground”.
“I welcome the opening of the old Mount Carmel site as a surgical hub, for example, and the extension of St John’s hours. Last year we saw ambulance crews given the discretion to divert to other hospitals and these initiatives simply must continue and must be expanded,” the Fianna Fáil candidate said.
“By 2025 we will see 96 new beds delivered at UHL, with a new 16-bed unit completed by end of 2024. Two more 96-bed units are pledged.
“Again, all are actions that are to be welcomed, but we must keep our eye on the interim, we must plan carefully for staffing, and we must plan for ancillary care such as convalescence spaces for elderly patients for example.”
