Sixty-eight elderly people have waited on trolleys for over 24 hours in the Midlands Regional Hospital, Portlaoise.
This is according to statistics released to Sinn Féin over the period of January to September of this year.
A total of 667 people over the age of 75 spent more than 24 hours on either a trolley or chair to see doctors in the Midland Regional Hospitals in Portlaoise, Tullamore and Mullingar.
Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley spoke about the figures, saying: “Figures released to his party by the Minister for Health on the number of elderly people on trolleys in the three Midlands Hospitals are shocking.’’
“Portlaoise Emergency Department (ED) had 68 such cases, Mullingar had 155 and Tullamore a total of 444 people over 75 years of age waiting more than 24 hours to receive vital medical attention. These figures are outrageous.”
“The overall situation is shocking and highlights the crisis and lack of capacity within our hospitals and in particular in our ED departments.”
“For anybody to be waiting over 24 hours is totally unacceptable, but for our elderly to have to endure this is completely wrong. It underlines the flaws in our health system, despite the fact that we provide more taxpayers money into it, than almost all other EU states.”
The Laois TD spoke about the pressure hospital staff and ED departments are going to face coming into winter.
He stressed the importance of not closing or downsizing the emergency department in Portlaoise.
“We are now facing into another winter with an escalating trolley crisis in our hospitals. It’s absolutely crystal clear that capacity needs to be increased and particularly in the ED departments.
“In this context any attempt to reduce or close Portlaoise ED is out of the question.
“What’s needed instead is for a definitive statement by the Minister Harris, and a plan to secure and increase the capacity throughout the 3 Midlands hospitals,” he concluded.
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