This article is from page 14 of the 2013-01-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
NEWS that smoking on the grounds of the Mid West Regional Hospital in Ennis was to become a thing of the past came to light in March.
At a HSE meeting in March, it was revealed that visitors and patients alike would have to have to leave the hospital campus and walk to the public roadside if they planned to light up a cigarette.
This is despite the purpose-built covered shelter which is in place for smokers on the grounds and just yards from the main entrance of the Ennis hospital, smokers will have to leave the hospital grounds to light up according to new regulations.
The new regulation raises the distinct possibility of patients in dressing gowns, pyjamas and fluffy slippers being visible to passing traffic and the elements if they decided to smoke.
From May 1, all hospitals in the mid- west, including the maternity hospital in Limerick, became smokefree, following in the footsteps of other HSE West hospitals.
But not everyone is a fan of the new regulations that must be imposed in all Irish hospitals by 2015.
Chairman of the HSE West, Pád- raig Conneely (FG) asked if the HSE had gone a step too far by banning smoking on all hospital campuses.
“How are you going to stop people outside accident and emergency in an inebriated state who are smoking, or a person dealing with a tragedy who wants to go outside to smoke?” he asked at the time.
According to figures released at the time, the annual security costs at the Ennis facility are € 34,000.
Clare representative to the HSE West Forum, Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) said he agreed with the policy, but raised concerns about hospitals like the Mid Western Regional Hospital Ennis, which has a psychiatric unit.
“It is more than a dependency for people with psychiatric problems,” he said.
He also asked if the HSE planned to extend the practice of allowing unhealthy behaviour on campus, by ceasing to sell sugary foods in its hospital shops, given the rise in typetwo diabetes.
Fellow Clare representative Cllr Tony Mulqueen (FG) asked about the size of the hospital campus and was told it was a 150-acre site.
“If there were 1, 500 acres, would you have the same rules? Where does it stop?” he asked.