Mayo senator hits out over hospital overcrowding

FIANNA Fail and Fine Gael must explain why they took thousands of beds out of the public health system and failed to resource the full development potential of primary care, according to Mayo Sinn Féin Senator Rose Conway-Walsh.

Speaking as over 600 patients who had been clinically assessed as needing admittance to hospitals were left on trolleys the Erris-based representative stated: “This unprecedented crisis in the our hospitals is an accumulation of bad policy from both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.

“Here in Mayo we have seen a continuous closure of beds over the past 16 years. In Belmullet Community Hospital alone 20 of the 40 beds were closed by a Fianna Fail-led government which also put the moratorium on staff recruitment in place. Those responsible for these decisions must now be held accountable.

“The scale of the number of ill patients on trolleys is shocking. However, it is only one element of failure to provide proper healthcare. Many patients are being sent home when they clearly need treatment.

“Over the past number of months I have been contacted by many people who have been sent home untreated with broken bones and serious life threatening conditions.

“This is inevitable when you have a system without adequate numbers of staff, proper equipment and physical space to treat patients.

“Meanwhile over 530,000 people are awaiting hospital appointments. Providing a health service for 4.5 million citizens should not be beyond the wit of government.”