Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I join with Deputy Crawford in appealing to the Minister of State to reflect our concerns to the Minister, Deputy Mary Harney, whose absence I regret given the seriousness of the issue.

We know of the report to the Louth county coroner on the deaths of four patients in the outbreak of C. difficile at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. The HSE reported that there have been approximately 21 confirmed cases and 20 symptomatic cases at the hospital. We also know there has been a further outbreak at Our Lady's Hospital in Navan and that these outbreaks have resulted in the closure of a significant number of beds at both hospitals and the cancellation of surgical procedures and all physiotherapy appointments at Navan hospital. Visiting restrictions have been put in place and all elective orthopaedic procedures and some general surgery has been cancelled until further notice at the Navan hospital site. These are serious consequences in the north-east region, where one hospital has already been closed for all acute care since 22 July. We now have two critical hospital sites, in Drogheda and Navan, working under a strict and limited regime. The closure of acute services at the Louth Hospital in Dundalk has been signalled as and from the end of the coming month. This is a very serious situation that requires an emergency response. We argue that here we have a hospital site that does not have the infection currently present in Monaghan hospital and it deserves to be considered for the restoration of acute care as an emergency response to the current situation. We ask the Minister to recognise that while Monaghan hospital offers a temporary reprieve from the current difficulties we believe the closure of the hospital site is a direct contributor to the difficulties at other hospital sites within the region. Already hard-pressed staff and the extended throughput of patients presenting at each of these hospital sites both contribute directly to a fall in the standard of hygiene care and the ability of staff to enforce mandatory handwashing and the use of the gel opportunities provided at all the ward sites.

I appeal to the Minister to respond to a situation that is currently localised in the north eastern region which requires a similar north eastern response.

See this speech in context