The Nenagh Hospital Medical Assessment Unit is earmarked for extended opening hours if UL Hospitals Group are granted funding.
The MAU at St. John’s in Limerick will also have its opening hours expanded if the HSE approves funding in the amount of €5.2 million for the UL Hospitals Group.
If accepted, the MAUs would be operational seven days a week.
Tanya De Vito McMahon of the Nenagh Needs Its A&E group says the application is a step in the right direction, but there’s a long way to go.
Speaking to Tipp Today, the Midwest Hospital Campaigner welcomed the news but had concerns about staffing levels to facilitate longer hours.
“It is fantastic news if you have the consultants and doctors. This money is going to help to resource the MAUs, but we don’t have enough doctors or consultants, and we need them to make the MAUs run properly. You need the extra staff. On paper, it looks fantastic, we were all delighted, and it is a step forward, but we’re not there yet.”
At present, patients are diverted from MAUs to University Hospital Limerick after 4pm, and this will see an attempt to relive the regional hospital.
Tanya De Vito McMahon says the news is positive, but beds numbers are also of concern.
“The beds are limited in Nenagh. There are 12 beds. Two of them are kept aside for DVT. Doctors booking in patients – I know one doctor that was booking in a patient, and he told me this personally, it was nearly a week for him to get the patient in. So, it’s hard to get patients in, and we need the consultants and the doctors. But, look, it is positive news. We’re very positive about it. We need to just wait and see what happens now.”
