Campaigners seeking the reopening of A&E services in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s say it is not acceptable that people in the mid-west could be dying because of overcrowding at UHL.
11,000 demonstrators, including a sizeable Clare contingent, took to the streets of Limerick City today to call for enhanced services at local hospitals.
The march, which was organised by the Midwest Hospital’s campaign group, saw a huge crowd gather at Limerick City Hall this morning to voice their discontent with record levels of overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick.
People from Clare, Limerick and Tipperary took to the streets of the city, with several of the campaigners having personal stories of losing loved ones due to overcrowding at the Accident and Emergency Department in UHL.
Among them were the parents of Eve Cleary from Corbally, who passed away in 2019. Eve spent 17 hours on a trolley prior to being discharged, but died just hours later following complications with blood clots which went undiagnosed.
Eve’s mother Melanie says lives are being needlessly lost with no accountability.
Members of Aoife Johnston’s family were also present for today’s protest to remember the Shannon teenager who lost her life through meningitis, after spending 16 hours on a trolley in Dooradoyle.
Musicians performed for the large attendance before they embarked on their route through the city, and among them was Miltown’s Sean Malone.
Campaigners say they will continue fighting for change, and Ballyvaughan based campaigner and member of the Midwest Hospitals Group Noeleen Moran, says the voices of those calling for change must be heeded.
You can listen to members of the Mid-West Hospitals Campaign Group speaking to Clare FM’s Derrick Lynch at today’s protest below.
