Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I speak today on behalf of the people of the mid-west including those in Limerick, Tipperary and, particularly, Clare. Clare is a county which I know well. It has a population of approximately 110,000 people. The problem is that, for the last number of years, the accident and emergency department at University Hospital Limerick in Dooradoyle has been constantly overcrowded, particularly during the winter months. Last year was one of the worst years for crowding at the hospital's accident and emergency department. At one point, the figures ranged from 80 to almost 100. Many of these people are elderly, vulnerable and extremely sick. They are left on trolleys while waiting for a bed in the hospital. It goes without saying that, once they get a bed in the hospital, they are treated very well and the care offered to them is exemplary. The problem is that they are waiting on trolleys on corridors and around the vicinity of the accident and emergency unit in very challenging and very difficult circumstances. I am sure the Minister will agree that is not acceptable in this world or in this country.

In November 2017, the then Minister, Deputy Harris, committed funding for the University of Limerick Hospital Group to build a 60-bed modular unit as a starting point to deal with the difficulties at the accident and emergency facility in the hospital in Limerick. That money was sanctioned, made available and ring-fenced. The years 2018 and 2019 have passed and 2020 is about to pass but the unit is still not up and running. Three years is a long time. A significant amount of facilities could be built in three years. The delay is completely unacceptable. Will the Minister of State confirm the date on which the new 60-bed modular unit will be up and running and when patients will be able to avail of it? The delay is totally unacceptable. I look forward to getting a specific date for when the unit at Limerick hospital will open.