The Louth health service is in crisis says Sinn Fein and Louth TD Gerry Adams

Louth TD Gerry Adams has accused the Minister for Health of presiding over a health service in Louth that “is in serious crisis and which is placing patient outcomes and lives at risk”.

 The Louth Deputy called on the constituencies government TDs and Seanadóirí to “stop backing the failed health policies of the government and to stand with patients in this constituency who are demanding a proper health service”.

 Teachta Adams said:

 “According to figures from the INMO the crisis in patients on trollies in Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda has reached record levels. There were 63 patients on trolleys in Drogheda hospital on Tuesday. Of these 45 were in the Emergency Department ; 15 were in the Medical Assessment Unit, and three were in wards throughout the hospital. On Thursday Our Lady of Lourdes had the highest trolley numbers in its Emergency Department in the state.

 These patients are the victims of staff cuts, the recruitment embargo, and the cuts to agency by Minister Reilly and the government.

 In a PQ response to me the HSE has admitted that the Louth Meath Hospital Group faces a projected end of year budget deficit of more than €20 million and that to tackle this ‘most disciplines must be operating at or below 50% of their 2011 agency levels and authority to engage or pay for agency beyond that is formally withdrawn’ and that by ‘1st December all agency is banned and authority to engage or pay for same is formally withdrawn (with the exception of NCHDs.’