*A review has been sought by county councillors.
HSE OFFICIALS have been urged to review arrangements at Ennis Hospital including identifying a greenfield site to allow for further development.
Local representatives unanimously supported a proposal before this month’s sitting of Clare County Council which called on the HSE to upgrade Ennis hospital to a level three hospital “with appropriate bed capacity and skill mix to alleviate pressure” on University Hospital Limerick (UHL).
Proposed by Cllr Pat Daly (FF) and co-signed by ten fellow councillors, the motion wanted a review of operations at Ennis Hospital by the HSE to “look at all possibilities currently available in the greater Ennis area including a green field site that might give further options in future years”.
Recognition from within the HSE on “how much of an asset Ennis is to the Mid-West region,” is lacking according to Cllr Daly. He informed the meeting he had been a frequent visitor to UHL since Christmas with medical issues, “I have seen first-hand once a patient gets into the system the quality of care is first class and as good as what is in the country”. He said, “the closing down of the A&Es in Ennis and Nenagh didn’t work in 2009 and it still doesn’t work now”.
Importance of finding a greenfield site was stressed by Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG). “Housing and health are two major issues facing our county, we’ve made great progress in the housing section,” he claimed. “We talk about 2040, we should be talking about 2030 and identifying a greenfield site for a new hospital. I hope the local authority and our Oireachtas members work together to find a greenfield site”.
Mayor of the Ennis Municipal District, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF) maintained, “We’ve been going round and round on ways to improve our hospital, we’ve a growing county and an ambitious county, we know that in this part of the country we’re not getting the same standard of care. What’s really the issue is the blockages that continue to persist. We need to review the decisions made in 2009, it has clearly been a mistake”.
There is no choice but for changes to be made, Cllr Shane Talty (FF) insisted. “It is quite clear that the centre of excellence model has failed completely, the decision has proven to be an error. The minor injury clinic in Ennis is a fantastic service. We cannot be left relying on a hospital in Limerick that is clearly unfit for purpose”.
Conditions at UHL are “completely unhealthy,” Cllr Mary Howard (FG) commented as she pointed to overcrowding figures which results in patients “outside bathrooms and fire doors”.
Events at UHL have been “tragic,” Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) stated, “This is people’s lives we’re talking about and they should be entitled to basic services”. He questioned if the people of the Mid-West were getting “equal rights”. O’Callaghan added, “Nobody wants to get sick back in West Clare because of the journey they have to make. It is quite evident that there is something very wrong”.
“We’ve been speaking about this for years, people have a fear with UHL,” Cllr Ann Norton (IND) surmised. “It’s worthy of all our support. We need a serious outbreak of common sense in this country, starting in Kildare Street,” remarked Cllr PJ Kelly (FF).
Support was also voiced by Cllr Paul Murphy (FG) and Cllr Bill Chambers (FF) who co-signed the motion.
