Browne: ICU capacity at STGH a cause for concern

Concerns are being raised about Intensive Care capacity at South Tipp General Hospital, with only one vacant ICU bed currently on site.

Sinn Féin’s Martin Browne says that was the state of play at the Clonmel facility on Tuesday, with four of the five ICU beds occupied at the time.

He believes that the Government will have to turn to private hospitals again to provide capacity during a second wave of the virus.

Meanwhile, he’s criticised the Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and fellow Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath for their criticism of CMO Dr Tony Holohan and NPHET in recent days.

Deputy Browne says NPHET’s expertise is required for the Government to make proper decisions.

“I’m a lay person – I’m no doctor. I’m not in a position to give any information because I don’t have data or any member of the public isn’t to give that kind of data.”

“NPHET is there to give the health advice on what they see and what they’re tracking and it’s up to government to react to that advice but not the way it happened over the weekend.”

“Tony Holohan and NPHET was thrown under a bus by our Tánaiste at the weekend and as one journalist put it not only thrown under a bus but he rolled over him a couple of times. That bond needs to be brought back together.”