The President of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has called for an immediate end to the fuel blockades, warning that slower response times by the emergency services and missed healthcare appointments as a result of the blockades will have a “hugely detrimental” effect on patient welfare.
Speaking at the IMO AGM which is taking place this weekend in Killarney, Co Kerry, Professor Matthew Sadlier said that it was unacceptable that the disproportionate actions of a minority are having such a significant negative impact on patients.
“There should always be room for peaceful protest in this country, but not at the expense of patient welfare due to the deliberate targeting of critical infrastructure. These blockades mean our emergency services are not currently able to respond as quickly as they ordinarily do, meaning patients will be delayed receiving urgent and, in many cases, life-saving treatment. This cannot continue.”
He added that the knock-on impact on scheduled appointments would create added pressure on the healthcare system which is already struggling due to a lack of adequate resourcing.
“The ability of both patients and healthcare staff to actually get to healthcare appointments has been severely compromised by the blockades which will create major problems for the health system in the months to come at a time when we do not have enough staff to meet the demands of a growing and ageing population which requires ever more complex care.”
While there were delays facilitating emergency services on the first day of the blockade, arrangements were quickly put in place to ensure this didn’t happen again.
People travelling to hospitals for appointments also reported not being able to get to those engagements on time. In recent days, and in most cases, protesters have facilitated patients who advised them at the blockades that they have appointments.
Protesters have also facilitated funerals travelling along the M18 in Co Clare.
There is still considerable anger though that motorists being diverted off the motorway and dual-carriageway network are then being held up by rolling roadblocks on those diversion routes.
Between motorway junction 11 at Dromoland, and the villages of Clarecastle and Newmarket on Fergus, tractors have been driving very slowing in front of traffic resulting in tailbacks of several kilometres in length.
