Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 2 October 2019

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health

Quarterly Meeting on Health Issues: Discussion

Photo of Kieran O'DonnellKieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like my predecessor, I will have to give some kind of preamble. My question is specific to University Hospital Limerick. I have looked back at the overcrowding data on individual days for the past month and there has been an average of 67 people on trolleys. In September last year the average was 44.

This is no longer a political issue, it is a human rights issue. I am seeking confirmation from the Minister that there is a radical plan to address this issue. The 60-bed modular unit is under construction and my understanding is that it will be completed by June next and operational by September. I understand also that planning and design in respect of the 96-bed acute block is under way. Following this historical reconfiguration there will be more than 150 additional beds but until such time as the 60-bed block is in place, we need a radical plan to deal with overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick. Today, there are 47 people awaiting discharge. The figure for this time last year was eight. Owing to the lack of beds in Limerick, the focus must be on discharges. Can the Minister give a commitment in regard to the transitional funding under the fair deal scheme?

The Minister referenced the MRI scanner. The existing scanner is at breaking point. If it were to break down, would it take six or eight weeks to replace it? The situation has reached crisis point. An MRI scanner needs to be provided with immediate effect. Six or eight weeks is too long for the people on the ground. When will a radical plan and transitional funding be put in place for University Hospital Limerick to improve the discharge rate and provide a new MRI scanner?

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