A or no one will get proper medical treatment.
Dr.Mary Ryan is a consultant at Barrington’s Hospital Limerick and Aut Even in Kilkenny says that there are already major delays in screenings, and treatment for cancer as a result of Covid and the refugee crisis is compounding this.
She offered some figures which show 1 in 2 people getting delayed diagnosis or treatment as a result of the backlog which they are already struggling to catch up on and 40% of those will see definite delays- not to mention further delays in screening.
This is a very worrying development according to Dr.Ryan- who has also emphasized the importance of early detection.
Speaking to Tipp Today she said Doctors on the ground can see there is no more capacity with many services already in need of additional resources.
Hospitals, nurses, GPs, are all calling for more staff, more space, and just an overall increase of resources urgently.
She was strong in her view that until we can manage what we have there needs to be a pause on the numbers of Ukrainian refugees we accept.
Dr.Ryan believes many people in the medical field are of this view but afraid to say it:
“We are welcoming the refugees and we are very good to them, all I am saying is we need to take a breather and do the helicopter view on what we have at the moment and how we can look after all those citizens Irish, Ukrainians, Syrians all of those who have come in, in the proper manner. We are already so far behind before we start taking more in. I didn’t agree with Michael Martin when he was saying they can keep coming, I can see services stretched I am the Doctor I can see this.”
Dr.Ryan is concerned that everyone will get a bad service and even more people will be on trolleys if we don’t take action now.
She has highlighted that everyone has right to life and it is not acceptable to have people in their 80s lying on trolleys because our services are over run.
She spoke out against the silence in the field saying people are afraid to speak up and voice their concerns, but that there are many feeling the same in the medical profession :
“people have got to be not afraid to speak the truth for too long in this country people have been afraid to voice their opinion they were being controlled that’s not democracy, democracy is speaking honestly and truthfully, and what you are doing is to try and help people, you’re trying to make sure you look after what we have. And by all means when we have looked after what we have then open the doors again, open them, but for God Sake get on top of what w have and make sure you can look after all the citizens who are sick disabled and need treatment particularly cancer treatment.”
