Morris: Doctors sending patients anywhere but Limerick

Photo: Cllr Séamie Morris

It’s claimed members of the medical profession in North Tipp have lost faith in University Hospital Limerick.

That’s according to Nenagh based Councillor Seamie Morris who says doctors are trying to avoid sending people to the Emergency Department at UHL if at all possible.

He has tabled a motion to the next HSE Mid-West Forum asking what efforts management at UHL have made to secure increased bed capacity for the region.

Seamie says he has personal experience of the crisis and feels it’s time to launch an investigation into the whole reconfiguration process.

“Paramedics, medical staff, doctors are doing everything in their power to avoid sending people into Limerick including my own 92 year old father. The Paramedic actually said to me you’d be better off to stay and wait out the night rather than going into UHL in the middle of the night.

“That is putting people’s health at serious risk. And when you have your own medical staff – including doctors locally here who are sending patients anywhere but Limerick. They’re sending them as far away as Tullamore and Portlaoise rather than sending them into Limerick. They have lost faith in the system.”

Councillor Morris is calling for a united front from local politicians.

“The HSE don’t seem to listen to anybody and it’s high time that our politicians stopped being ordered around by the HSE.

“I’m asking for all our politicians in Tipperary to come together and demand a meeting with local HSE management to ask them to launch an investigation into how safe UHL is.”