A Tipperary Senator is calling for more to be done to address overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick.
The hospital serves Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary and regularly has the most patients on trolleys – today there are 100 people without a bed at UHL.
Senator Garret Ahearn welcomed an inquiry by HIQA.
However, he said a more impartial body would be more appropriate, as HIQA have already gone on record saying there are no problems at the Dooradoyle hospital.
Senator Ahearn told Tipp FM that despite significant Government investment of over €60 million, overcrowding remains a major issue.
“There’s 98 extra beds in University Hospital Limerick since 2020, but yet, there’s still the same amount of people on trolleys as there was before these 98 beds came on stream and that just doesn’t make sense from a management point of view.
“We’ve seen other hospitals, particularly South Tipperary General Hospital in Clonmel where a 40-bed modular unit was committed to, was funded, was brought on stream and has made a significant impact in terms of the people on trolleys.”
Senator Ahearn added that the problem is not with the hospital staff, the nurses and doctors are doing their best, but with between 80 and 100 people on trolleys every day at UHL, he said this isn’t acceptable.
“We do need to get to the bottom of it, because we can’t have a situation where Government are putting in over €60 million into a hospital in Limerick and see absolutely no benefit on the back of it.
“There’s excellent people who work there, but it’s clearly a management issue.”
