A crowd has gathered in Ennis this afternoon to demonstrate against chronic overcrowding at the region’s main hospital.
The Midwest Hospitals Campaign is calling for Ennis General Hospital to be upgraded to a model three hospital and for the Emergency Department in the county town to be reopened.
From the Height in Ennis, Clare Fm’s Fiona Cahill reports.
The Midwest Hospitals Campaign group has taken to the streets of Ennis once again today, two years on from their last demonstration.
It follows record numbers on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick in recent months, with numbers peaking at 126 on one day in April, the highest number ever recorded at any hospital in the country since records began.
Spokesperson for the group Noeleen Moran spoke of the extraordinary measures taken by the Government to address the crisis during the Covid-19 pandemic and questioned why a similar response hasn’t been taken to address overcrowding in this region.
The Ballynvaughan native insists that steps must be taken to ensure adequate healthcare for the people of Clare and the Midwest, saying current trolley numbers are not aceptable.
Enistymon woman Marie Mc Mahon’s husband passed away in hospital.
She’s called on public representatives to send a strong message to Government that the people of Clare and the Midwest are no longer willing to accept a failing service.
As part of today’s demonstration, the Friends of Ennis Hospital highlighted their concern over the lack of A&E services, particularly in light of the fact that millions of tourists travel to the Cliffs of Moher, the most visited natural attraction in the country.
Spokesperson Angel Coll says the people of Clare have been marching for improved hospital services since the late eighties and insists it’s time their voices are listened to.
