Stop Centralisation & Cutbacks: Limerick Regional Hospital Can't Cope

limerick | miscellaneous | other press Monday March 16, 2009 23:00 by CRPHS Limerick - Campaign for a Real Public Health Service, Limerick limerickhealth at gmail dot com 0868064801

CRPHS Press release about joint press stunt in Limerick

The following is a press release of the Campaign for a Real Public Health Service, distributed today at a publicity stunt at the Regional Hospital, Limerick organised jointly by CRPHS, Nenagh Hospital Action Group and Ennis Hospital Development Committee.

Symbolic 10 extra patients from Nenagh Hospital. There was also a group in Clare jerseys representing the 13 coming from Ennis Hospital, and a welcoming committee from Limerick. Photo by: David Hayes

Speaking at a joint press stunt today, organised by health campaigns from Clare, Tipperary and Limerick, Cian Prendiville of the Campaign for a Real Public Health Service (Limerick) attacked the government's plans to centralise A&E services at Limerick's Regional Hospital, and the cuts in the health service more generally.

Today's protest highlighted how from April 6th on an extra 4,000 patients from Nenagh, and about 5,000 from Ennis hospitals will have be crammed into the Regional due to the closure of those A&Es from 8pm to 8am. The CRPHS, Limerick estimate that this could be as much as a doubling of the numbers attending the Regional A&E at night. And that is just the first step. The government want to go ahead and shut Ennis and Nenagh A&Es around the clock, with only Minor Injury Units replacing them. This could result in an extra 11,000 on top of the 9,000 already mentioned; and that is only patients from A&E. There will also be tens of thousands of inpatients transferred. If the government get away with this it will be a catastrophe. We cannot let them.

The health service should not be made to pay for the economic crisis - it was not our hospitals, nurses or junior doctors who created the crisis! If the government can bail-out the banks with over €7bn, why can't it bail-out health, and raise our health spending to be at least in line with the EU average. Currently we spend only 90% of the EU13 average. The situation is worse when it is put in the context that we are coming from a much lower base than the other countries (due to the Haughey health massacre in the 80s), combined with the very significant increase in the demand for healthcare through population growth, etc.

The simple fact is Limerick's Regional Hospital cannot cope. There are regularly up to 30 people lying on trolleys in the A&E as the hospital doesn't have enough beds to accommodate them. Yet according to the Teamwork report 425 inpatient beds throughout the Mid West will be closed, as all inpatients travel to Limericks Regional Hospital, which currently has only 375 inpatient beds [pg. 59, Teamwork Report]. Under this pressure, the heroic staff there don't stand a chance - the hospital will fail, just like Drogheda Hospital recently did.

The government cannot be allowed to get away with this. These cuts must be stopped - by a mass, active campaign, involving huge protests and possibly even industrial action. Anyone who wants to see such a campaign built should contact the CRPHS at limerickhealth@gmail.com or look up our local website: www.limerickhealth.blogspot.com.