TD continues three-year hospital protest
A Labour TD who has protested outside the Mater Hospital more than 150 times vowed today to continue until conditions in its accident and emergency department improve.
Dublin Central TD Joe Costello said it was ludicrous that the situation in A&E was still so chaotic for patients, three years after he began his campaign.
“The ordinary person who is in dire need is failing to get treatment and not only that, they’re being forced to suffer,” he said.
“Irrespective of who is in Government, this campaign will continue until it’s sorted out, because it’s dehumanising and it’s just so undignified and damaging and harmful for people who come to hospital to get better, not to get worse.”
Mr Costello was joined outside the Mater Hospital by around 50 supporters, with one of them lying on an A&E-style trolley and another sitting in a wheelchair. Representatives of the Irish Nurses Organisation were also present.
Mr Costello originally began his protest three years ago when an elderly patient had to wait in A&E for five days on a trolley before being admitted. Since then, he was been there almost every Saturday, missing only two weekends.
Mr Costello called on the Government to take simple steps which would make an immediate difference, such as opening up an extra 30 beds in the Mater to speed up A&E admissions.
“You’re not going to solve the A&E crisis by providing a whole new primay care infrastructure – that will take five to 10 years.”
He said the Mater, which is situated in the Taoiseach’s constituency, was one of the worst examples of the chaos in the state’s A&E units.
“After nine years in power, three different ministers for health, and a total spend of 60 billion euro, the Government has failed to address the crisis.
He said that his constituents were reluctant to attend the hospital because of the testimonies of those who have only received treatment after hours or days waiting on hospital trolleys.
“This should not be the case in one of the richest countries in the world that has experienced unprecedented prosperity in recent years.”
