Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is due to visit University Hospital Limerick tomorrow and has been asked to include Ennis General Hospital to his itinerary while in the Mid-West.
Independent TD for Clare Michael McNamara, who has raised issues regarding UHL with Mr Varadkar several times s since his election, has confirmed that the Taoiseach will visit the facility tomorrow.
Deputy McNamara said: “Having raised the matter of overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick with Leo Varadkar on three occasions in the Dáil since his election as Taoiseach, I am glad to note that he will be visiting UHL this Friday.
I have requested him to include a visit to Ennis Hospital on his itinerary so that he can get a better understanding of the underutilisation of Model 2 Hospitals, such as Ennis, Nenagh and St. Johns, and their capacity to contribute to reducing overcrowding at UHL.”
There has been no formal announcement of the visit yet however Mr Varadkar has previously committed to visiting UHL which has been plagued by overcrowding for several years.
Mr Varadkar’s visit to UHL, should it go ahead, is likely to be met by protests following recent marches across the country last month including in Limerick where Gardaí estimated that around 11,000 people took to the streets. Following the closure of the emergency departments at Ennis and Nenagh in 2009, only one ED remains in the region and that’s at UHL, consistently the most overcrowded facility in the country.
The Mid-West Hospital Campaign groups has also confirmed that they’ve been informed that the Taoiseach will visit UHL tomorrow.
In a post on Facebook, the group said: “The Taoiseach’s office has been in contact to confirm that a meeting will take place. If anyone has concerns or issues they feel should be raised please feel free to get in contact. Only a small delegation from the campaign will be permitted to attend this meeting. For those who cannot attend but want to demonstrate their support for the reopening of our A&Es, we will be gathering outside UHL between 11.30 and 12.30 on Friday please bring your photos or placards. All welcome.”