Ó Murchú: Hospital waits and lack of GPs impacting on patients in Louth

Long waits at hospital emergency departments and a lack of GPs in Louth are impacting on patients, Louth TD Ruairí Ó Murchú has said.

The Dundalk Sinn Féin deputy was speaking after the HSE’s Regional Executive Officer for Dublin and North East, Sara Long, issued a memo to elected representatives in the area who admitted some patients are experiencing long waits in EDs, while others will have non-essential surgery cancelled in the coming weeks.

Deputy Ó Murchú said it was clear from the winter surge, which has impacted Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, that significant reform was needed from the new government in order to get to grips with the crisis “which happens in the health service every year at this time”.

He said that recent photos of ambulances queued outside the Drogheda hospital “is not the first time we have seen images like these”. He said: “The totality of healthcare needs to be part of the picture, from prevention to GPs and primary care to hospital waiting lists and emergency departments.

“The health service has been through another really busy December and January with serious issues present in hospitals from overcrowding and understaffing. These are predictable crises that are allowed to happen every year. They are made worse by the stealth recruitment embargo that is in place.”

He said that Dundalk in particular is facing a “massive GP crisis” with those who get medical cards having to wait months to be allocated a GP. Those who don’t have medical cards “struggle badly” to get into a surgery.

Deputy Ó Murchú said: “In addition, there is, as I have highlighted numerous times in the last 12 months, a major crisis in mental health and child mental health in this area, along with access to disability services for children.

“The response to these crises has been far too slow and there seems to be no political will to do anything. The health service needs ambitious leadership from the next government. A fair and functioning public health service is not beyond us. This needs clear and progressive commitments for delivering universal healthcare in the next programme for government.”

Deputy Ó Murchú concluded by adding: “The long-term solution lies in strategic investment, spending accountability, and workforce planning. These are essential to build up health system capacity, make hospitals safe, deliver safe staffing, and ensure effective use of public money. Whenever there is a government in place, it needs to get to grips with this reality otherwise we will have continued failure.”