Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill confirmed her support for a recommended new hospital build at University Hospital Limerick and her intention to present the proposals before Cabinet.
Fianna Fáil TD Willie O’Dea received word from the Health Minister that she intends to consider Option A and B of the HIQA review for the Mid-West. This would include an extension of the current UHL Dooradoyle site and a second hospital build in close proximity with shared governance.
“This is good news for the Mid-West region, which has been paying the price of the closure of the three A&E departments at Ennis, St John’s in Limerick, and Nenagh since 2009”, comments Willie O’Dea TD.
“In the last Government, I, along with Deputy Cathal Crowe and Deputy Jackie Cahill, went to then Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and made it clear that the practice of funneling half a million people through one A&E in Limerick was a failed experiment and that the healthcare provision in the region needed to be expanded. In response, he ordered HIQA to examine the healthcare needs of the Mid-West and it is as a result of that report that we have the Minister’s decision today.”
Since the publication of the HIQA report last October, there has been unprecedented efforts from cross-party Oireachtas members across Limerick, Clare and Tipperary to encourage the government to consider these recommendations. The group, comprising of representatives of government and opposition parties, have organised multiple meetings with healthcare stakeholders and mutually signed a letter to the Health Minister highlighting the need for urgent emergency care in the region.
This week, Minister Jennifer Caroll MacNeill met with 14 representatives of the cross-party group at Leinster House. Here she confirmed her intention to support Options A and B, while also considering Option C as a “live option” involving the build of a model 3 hospital in the Mid-West.
Minister Carroll MacNeill is now due in coming weeks to present her proposal to Cabinet for sign-off by the Government. Willie O’Dea confirmed he will continue to push for these proposals and hopes to engage in dialogue during the new year for the delivery of these urgently needed services.
“I want to thank Minister Carroll MacNeill for her engagement with me on this issue since becoming Minister for Health earlier this year, and to thank former Minister Stephen Donnelly who initially got the ball rolling on the HIQA report which has led us to these recommended actions.”
While these developments would ultimately prove positive for the Mid-West, the focus on extending healthcare services surrounding UHL may adversely impact other projects outside Limerick including the delivery of a Model 3 or 4 hospital for Ennis.
Some representatives in Clare, including Councillor Rita McInerney, have voiced their disappointment regarding the Minister’s apparent neglect for healthcare in the county by prioritising UHL. Multiple councilors in Clare have also previously suggested they will go independent, shedding their party affiliations until a hospital in Ennis is delivered.