This article is from page 10 of the 2006-02-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
THE most senior member of the Health Service Executive has admitted the health services in Clare and across the mid-west are under developed.
For years, lobby and protest groups across the county have been outlining the sheer lack of sufficient services and treatments for seriously ill patients, as well as outlying the neglect felt by the people of the Banner county.
This week, the health service finally put its hands up, when the CEO of the HSE, Professor Brendan Drumm, told the first meeting of the Regional Health Forum West that patients from Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary were travelling to Dublin for treatment because services in the area were under developed.
“Having no neurologist in Limerick is a classical example of how we under
ten motivated internal criticism rather developed the mid-west. It should be
than what was best for the patients. sorted out,” he said.
“Do you want to go to Dublin, or de-
cism no doubt and you will do too, I velop services in the mid-west?”
suspect, for engaging in the process,” Telling the councillors representing
he told the new members of the health nine counties along the western sea-
forum. board that the HSE wanted input from the grass routes level, he said the new
HSE are councillors Pat Daly (FF), health service should be about what
Bill Chambers (FF), Joe Cooney (FG) was best for the patients.
He warned that industrial issues of“We are going to suffer a lot of critiClare’s four representatives on the and Brian Meaney (GP).
First to address the historic meeting from Clare was Councillor Pat Daly who said little had been invested in Ennis General since the 1940s. He asked when the €20 million development at the hospital was likely to begin.
Councillor Joe Cooney asked if funding was in place for a CAT Scan unit at the hospital and highlighted the ongoing concern about the ambulance service in Scariff.
Ambulances, according to Professor Drumm, would be one of the first areas that the HSE would concentrate on.
Councillor Brian Meaney told the professor “We feel you are a good guy despite what is being said in Clare. I know you are not about taking our hospital.”
He told the HSE chief that it was felt that resistance was necessary in Clare, as it was successful in saving the hospital on previous occasions.
“I would appeal to you to afford the hospital development committee a meeting with you at a time and location of your suiting,” he added handing him a copy of the eight questions the committee had previously nailed to the door of the HSE.
Professor Drumm also told the meeting it would be impossible to meet everyone in the system over every issue.