This article is from page 8 of the 2006-05-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
FIANNA Fáil Senator Brendan Daly has attacked what he has described as the “red tape” holding up the €30 million development plan for Ennis General Hospital.
The senator told a Seanad debate on the issue that there had been “a merry-go-round of discussions for the past two years with hospital, departmental and executive officials. The people of Clare want to see the hospital’s development begin as soon as possible,” he said.
Last week, Senator Daly appeared alongside the chairman of the Ennis General Hospital Development Committee, Peadar McNamara, at the May meeting of Kilrush Town Council to highlight the issue.
Four months previously, Senator Daly dismissed as a “publicity gimmick”, a move by the Hospital Development Committee to nail eight questions to the door of Health Service Executive (HSE) offices in Limerick, on the future of the A and E in Ennis.
In the Seanad last week, Senator Daly said it was over a year since a high-powered delegation, which included Clare politicians representatives of the Ennis General Hospital development committee, attended a meeting with the Tánaiste in Dublin, to emphasise how important it was to press ahead with the hospital’s development. But the deficiencies continued at the hospital, including security.
“In recent times, there has been an escalation in the aggressive attitude of patients at its accident and emergency department. They attend the department in an aggressive mood brought about through the over-indulgence in alcohol and, sometimes, drugs,” he said.
“The hospital has had to employ security personnel to keep law and order there at the weekends. On several occasions, the gardaí have had to be called to restore law and order in the department.
“This is unacceptable. No member can expect nursing and medical personnel to put up with such behaviour. Any solution to deal with this will be welcomed,” he added.