Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley says the current trolley crisis shows just how vital it is that Portlaoise Hospital A&E remains open and is upgraded.
Speaking in the Dáil this week, Brian Stanley said: “Last year there was a record 98,981 patients who spent one night or more on a hospital trolley. In Portlaoise Hospital alone there were 3,203 patients on trollies last year.
“Last Monday in Portlaoise Hospital there were 15 people on trollies. There is a plan before the Minister to close Portlaoise A&E.
“This would force patients to go to Tullamore where there were 35 patients on trollies on Monday or to Tallaght where there were a further 10.
“Any proposal to close Portlaoise and push people to other overcrowded hospitals will not work and these figures show it.
“In reply to my Dáil Question this week Minister Harris said that the consultation process on the draft plan for Portlaoise Hospital would be carried out “early this year” involving local clinicians and the community.
“In the Dáil yesterday Leo Varadkar stated that they had no plans in place to close any Emergency Departments in the State and they need to adhere to this position.
“The people of Laois, Offaly and South Kildare deserve better and the people of this State deserve better.
“There are four specific areas where action is needed and Sinn Féin is putting forward costed solutions.
“There are 862 fewer hospital beds now than in 2008, yet the population in the State has greatly increased. We propose to immediately increase beds by 500 at a cost of €153 million.
“There is a shortage of GPs in Laois and throughout the State. Sinn Féin would focus our health service towards primary care and we provided in our alternative budget proposals this year to recruit 200 extra GPs.
“Sinn Féin would recruit 500 additional nurses each year over a five year term and 800 more consultants over a five year period.
“We would also increase homecare packages by 15% and Home Help hours by 20% in one year. I am dealing with the case of an elderly lady who was placed on a waiting list for home help hours last May and she is still waiting 8 months later.
“Step down facilities need to be utilised such as Abbeyleix Hospital in my own constituency, and use it for elderly patients discharged from Portlaoise Hospital. Abbeyleix Hospital now needs to be upgraded and expanded.”
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