Louth Fianna Fáil TD Seamus Kirk has expressed serious concern at the ongoing refusal by the Minister for Health James Reilly to address extreme overcrowding at our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda.  Deputy Kirk was commenting after the number of patients on trolleys at the Lourdes Hospital rose to 48 today, according to figures released by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

 

Deputy Kirk commented, “Minister Reilly’s abandonment of all his election promises and all his opposition rhetoric is quite spectacular.  Figures today show that a total of 48 patients are waiting on trolleys at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda – that’s the highest number in the country. There is no doubt that this poses a major risk to patient safety at the hospital and must be addressed immediately.

 

“It is remarkable how quick Minister Reilly has forgotten his pledge to the people of the North East. He has been in control of the health services since March and yet he has consistently tried to abdicate responsibility the problems that have erupted on his watch. His policy appears to be to ignore what is going on or to shift blame onto someone else.

 

“This has now gone beyond critical point. We are at the point where patient safety in Drogheda is at serious risk. Minister Reilly cannot afford to ignore this problem any longer.”