Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I rise to express my frustration with what is happening at University Hospital Limerick. I have been very consistent for quite a while in looking for the Minister to come here to address it. Yesterday, I wrote to the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and asked him to declare a state of emergency at University Hospital Limerick. I know that the Minister was interviewed yesterday and said it was not acceptable. While a great many among the hospital management had always said that it required resources - and there have been huge resources with extra beds, extra staff, extra services and my understanding is that UHL received the highest amount of resources of any hospital per capita- there were 150 people on trolleys yesterday. A number of people have been on the phone to me crying that family members are not being looked after. I am not taking from the staff, who work really hard, but there has to be an explanation for the problem. I asked the Minister to visit the hospital in the next day or two and to bring the emergency crisis management team down to run the hospital because that is what needs to happen. There needs to be change. I know that the new executive officer, Ms Broderick, started maybe only two or three weeks ago and needs time to bed in, but there is something fundamentally wrong at UHL, and it is not acceptable. There were 150 people on trolleys yesterday; 20 received beds since then and I think there are about 130 today. It is at crisis point. There are four other hospitals in the hospital group, and while changes have been made in terms of small injury units and specialist areas in the other hospitals, it is not acceptable. Realistically, I need the Leader's support to ask the Minister to call an emergency crisis to do with UHL because something needs to change before people die.