Close to 500 people have signed a petition urging the Government to acquire land for a new Clare hospital or for the Health Minister to resign.
It comes as the Health Minister’s decision to locate a new MidWest Hospital campus in Limerick continues to cause uproar among health campaigners.
The Minister’s announcement this week means University Hospital Limerick’s campus will be extended to include a near 44 acre site in Raheen, just 2km away from the main hospital.
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill also confirmed the site could well become HIQA’s Option C as well, meaning it would become the location of a second emergency department for the region.
Kilrush resident and Friends of Ennis Hospital PRO Deirdre Culligan has now started a petition calling for lands to be acquired to build a new hospital in Clare or for the Health Minister to resign.
She believes the comments were a total insult to the people of this county.
The Health Minister is expected to visit Ennis and West Clare in the coming weeks to explore what further services can be allocated to this region , while a cross-party meeting with the National Ambulance Service is due to take place next week.
Calls are now ramping up for an air ambulance base to be allocated to Clare as soon as possible to address severe waiting times for those living in the west of the county.
Kilkee Resident and former Councillor Cillian Murphy says the people of Clare cannot be allowed to suffer more.
You can listen to the full interview here:
