Dáil debates

Wednesday, 9 September 2020

Covid-19 (Health): Statements

 

5:20 pm

Photo of Maurice QuinlivanMaurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat. I welcome the commencement of the construction of a 60-bed modular unit in UHL and acknowledge the HSE's efforts to commence the process of seeking planning permission for a 96-bed block but why it is taking so long? We have had an ongoing crisis for a number of years, since the amalgamation of the three local hospitals in Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's into UHL. We have had nothing but massive increase in trolleys, with thousands of people year-on-year waiting on trolleys. It needs to be prioritised and we need a commitment from the Government that the 96-bed unit will be completed on time, if not sooner. Limerick and the mid-west cannot afford to wait. There have been too many false dawns and promises and not enough action when it comes to UHL. I plead with the Minister, as I did in the previous Dáil on almost a weekly basis, that something be done at the hospital. The wait times and trolley numbers are increasing. We are all but at pre-Covid levels of people waiting on trolleys. The new unit must open on time and be fully staffed. The HSE has to sit down and speak to the nurses' unions, particularly, and the staffing level needs to be addressed. The reality is simple: it is not fair on patients or on the wonderful staff who do a fantastic job in the hospital. People in Limerick and the mid-west will say they have a good experience once they get into the hospital. The problem is waiting and waiting on trolleys. Our patients deserve dignity but dignity is not afforded to anybody waiting on a trolley in a busy corridor. The hospital staff deserve optimum conditions in which to complete their vital work. Great work is being done by medical staff during the pandemic. Their effort are, despite significant risk of infection, saving many lives. I am concerned that such great efforts will be undone if we do not get a handle on the overcrowding and staffing issues at the hospital.

Unfortunately, my home county of Limerick has experienced a dramatic and concerning increase in Covid cases. The increase, coupled with the issues at the hospital, and the upcoming flu season will create the perfect storm that could ultimately overwhelm our overstretched hospital staff. I ask the Minister to intervene. He will say there is not, but there is an embargo on staffing at the hospital. I spoke to a hospital porter yesterday and he is absolutely exhausted. He is working every hour because additional staff cannot be hired. There needs to be an immediate intervention. I know that the Minister has left but I repeat my invitation to him to come to Limerick and ask him to do that as soon as he can.

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