Trolley crisis at Mayo University Hospital - 'we need action now'

TWENTY patients were left languishing on trolleys in Mayo University Hospital, while outside, eight ambulances were backed up, unable to admit patients, on Monday.

This is not just an overcrowding issue - it is an emergency, says Councillor Harry Barrett.

“Lives are being put at risk due to a health system that is failing the people of Castlebar and the county,” he stated.

Despite repeated promises, there has been little progress on expanding the Emergency Department, said Councillor Barrett.

“Worse still, no meaningful action has been taken to address the core issue - our county simply does not have enough doctors.

“Patients and frontline healthcare workers are bearing the brunt of this failure while government representatives remain silent.”

He added: “I am calling on all Mayo TDs to urgently raise this crisis in the Dáil. We need immediate measures to tackle the lack of acute hospital beds, the severe doctor shortages, and the unacceptable ambulance delays.

“This is not just about numbers - this is about real people, our neighbours, our families, and our communities suffering due to government inaction.

“The people of Castlebar and County Mayo deserve better. They deserve a functioning health service.

“If our TDs fail to fight for this in the Dáil, they are failing the very people who elected them. The time for excuses is over - we need action, and we need it now.”