Seán Crowe speaking to motion 165 & 169
Published: 1 March, 2008
My local Hospital in Tallaght is being downgraded and stripped of essential staff that are not being replaced when their contracts end.
They are short of Physiotherapists, Radiologists, Anaesthetists, Social Workers, Pharmacists, IT staff, Clerical staff and they are seven and a half nurses short on one ward alone.
Tallaght's A&E treated 78,000 patients last year making it one of the busiest in the state. It's A&E should have four Consultants - it has one.
Political parties said in last election that the future of Tallaght Hospital is safe.
It is obvious that this is not the case with the hospital resources being stripped away almost on a daily basis. Mary Harney clearly doesn't want to know. This Government certainly doesn't want to know.
The human and healthcare cost is mounting. I know of one 71 year old man who needs a hip replacement. Because of the shortage of anaesthetists his operation has not been carried out. He needs morphine injections every second day for the pain. A couple of days ago he didn't get them when his daughter who had been administering them had to go into hospital.
They plan to move the National Children's Hospital and Our Lady's Hospital in Crumlin to the Mater site by 2012 leaving no overnight beds for sick children on the Southside of Dublin.
They want to replace the Children's Hospital in Tallaght with an Emergency Care Unit which will not open 24 hours a day and will only deal with minor cuts and bruises, broken arm, limbs etc.
It can take up to 2 hours plus to get to Mater from Tallaght. I know because Tallaght Sinn Féin timed it by car, bus and Luas plus bus.
There is a thing called the golden hour - the difference between life and death. Many children won't make that hour travelling through traffic according to the ambulance drivers.
The Tallaght Hospital Action group want to reverse this disastrous decision. Glorified clinics are not the answer. We urge you to support our march on 29th of March leaving from Tallaght Hospital at 1pm.
|
