Cllr Tomás Sharkey
Local Councillor Tomás Sharkey has hit out at the “dangerous situation” that has developed at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and called on the HSE to change their policies which led to services being cut at other local hospitals, including the Louth County Hospital in Dundalk.
Tthe Accident & Emergency department at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital reached crisis point today with reports of 57 patients on trolleys. Tony Fitzpatrick from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) called for a disaster protocol to be invoked and described the situation as “extremely dangerous for patients and staff.”
Reacting to the news, Cllr Sharkey hit out at what he called “a crisis” and said “the fact that the INMO are calling for a disaster protocol to be invoked means that the professionals know this situation is unmanageable.”
He added: “It is four years since crucial services were pulled from the Louth County Hospital so today’s crisis comes as no surprise to the public. This is the very scenario that we have been campaigning to prevent.”
The Louth County Councillor, who has been at the forefront of the Dundalk Hospital campaign, continued: “The disaster protocol that Tony Fitzpatrick calls for should involve opening an A&E service once again in Dundalk, with a re-opened medical ward and surgical ward.
“HSE managers must know that today’s situation is unacceptable. Nothing they could do can prevent it unless James Reilly makes a policy decision to provide the needed capacity.”
