Clare Sinn Féin TD Donna McGettigan strongly objects to the continued delay on the HIQA report for the HSE Mid-West region.
Ms Gettigan said: “Let’s be clear on this, the government again continues to kick the can down the road when it comes to our failing healthcare system here in the Mid-West region. Minister MacNeill holds no accountability to her department as patients continue to wait on trolleys in unsafe and inhumane conditions at University Hospital Limerick. This cannot continue.”
Reports began circulating yesterday evening on social media, that the HIQA report will not now be published until September. This was not announced by the department of health, instead this week on Tuesday, the 10th of June, Deputy Alan Kelly of the Labour party asked a parliamentary question asking when this long-awaited HIQA report will be ready and that is how it became known. “
Deputy McGettigan added: “These delays means that more patients are being put at risk and these delays means that more patients could die. And yet the Minister for Health can still only offer a revised timeline for the HIQA report which most certainly won’t offer patients currently waiting on trolleys at UHL much solace.”
In her response to Alan Kelly TD, the minister speaks in grand gestures about a “critical dependency for completion of the advice and final report from HIQA is the national and regional demand and capacity projections being undertaken by the ESRI for the department”.
“These regional capacity work projections by the ESRI further delays the HIQA report, while also pointing out her own inability to show the slightest iota of urgency, which clearly shows an incompetency within her own capacity as minister for health”.
McGettigan goes on to say that “the HSE Mid-West region continues to buckle under the pressure. Recent INMO Trolley watch figures from UHL showed 326 patients were on trolleys in the month of June already, a stark figure and things will not improve unless the government starts acting fast. People have had enough and who can blame them. We were told by the minister that this report would be ready last month.
The INMO Trolley Watch recorded more than 8,000 inappropriate admissions to UHL so far this year. That is 8,000 people admitted to hospital but left on trolleys awaiting a bed. It could not be clearer that a second ED is needed for the Mid-West region. Urgent investment is needed to provide these for Ennis and Nenagh hospitals and instead we are being told to wait. Enough is enough.”