Limerick Sinn Féin TD, Maurice Quinlivan, has condemned the government’s lack of response to the trolley crisis in Limerick. Deputy Quinlivan described these numbers “as out of control”. 

Teachta Quinlivan said:

“Today the University Hospital Limerick has 85 people being treated on trolleys. This is the highest number of people, on a given day since the pandemic started.  It is not acceptable for suffering patients to be treated like this and it is not acceptable for our health professionals to be working under such strained conditions. The trolley crisis is out of control.

“The defeatist attitude of some would give the impression that this is just the way it is when it comes to our Health Service. But it doesn’t have to be. With targeted investment and capacity control strategies, we can have an improved health service and we can have all our patients treated with dignity.

“My party colleague, David Cullinane TD, recently published our Alternative Health Budget. It details how we can tackle this crisis. It will not be easy but with the right investment and the necessary political will, positive changes can be made.

“Sinn Féin, when in government, would look to add 828 public beds to our hospital capacity and 50 public health consultants. We would invest €1.2billion in our Health Service over two terms in government to tackle waiting lists and Trolley crisis.

“Our patients and hospital staff deserve so much better. The deserve dignity and the best possible care and conditions available. This is not an unattainable aspiration; this is an achievable target.

“Despite recent nominal increases in bed capacity at the hospital, overcrowding remains a critical issue that needs to be resolved. It is not an insurmountable problem. It is high time for Minister Donnelly to step up to the plate and deliver for UHL. The staff and patients deserve better than what they are getting from the current Health Minister.”