A West Clare health campaigner says people in the area feel ‘abandoned’ by the curtailment of the Shannondoc out-of-hours GP system.
It comes as a Junior Health Minister says the Department of Health is engaged in ‘preparatory work’ for a full review of the service.
A number of the services in this county were curtailed or amalgamated at the onset of the pandemic.
Those in the West of the county must travel to Miltown Malbay on weekdays after services in both Ennistymon and Kilrush were scaled back in recent years to operate on weekends and public holidays only.
Shannon’s service now ends at 11pm at night on weekdays, with anyone in need after that having to travel to Ennis to see an on call doctor.
Concerns have been raised that the scaling back of services could be contributing to overcrowding in the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick.
Former Kilrush town Councillor Deirdre Culligan says many people in the county now feel abandoned due to the scaling back of the service.
It’s prompted calls for the fast tracking of a review into Shannondoc services across Clare and elsewhere, though the Government has yet to give an exact timescale for that work to take place.
Responding to Ennistymon-based Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway in the Seanad, Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler, says when it does happen, the review will inform future GP contracts.
However, one East Clare Councillor believes the time for a review has passed and further action is required.
Killaloe representative Tony O Brien has called for Shannondoc to appear before Clare County Council to fully explain its status and future plans here.
The Fianna Fail Councillor believes clarity is now needed and that the service as is, is not currently working.
