Hospital crisis is big issue on doorsteps, says O'Brien

Cllr Patsy O’Brien, who is running as an Independent candidate in Mayo for the upcoming general election, has urged the HSE to address the "deteriorating crisis" at Mayo University Hospital (MUH), saying it is "falling below expected standards with patients sometimes expected to share patient assessment cubicles".

Cllr O'Brien said he has encountered many issues at the doorsteps as he campaigns for election to Dáil Éireann but the one topic that is being brought to his attention more than any other is MUH. 

“I am frequently being asked what is happening to MUH and why have things become so bad in there,” he says. “The overcrowding of the emergency department is a recurring topic that is being brought to my attention.” 

Cllr O’Brien insists the multitude of unfilled posts this year has led to severe overcrowding and health and safety concerns.

“I understand in recent weeks that several patients have had to share treatment cubicles with another patient in the emergency department,” he says. “That is a long way from the level of privacy and dignity that patients would ordinarily expect.” 

The poll-topping councillor in the Claremorris Local Electoral Area in June says this situation is by no means any reflection on the hardworking staff who work within the department and other clinical areas of the hospital.

“These frontline staff deserve to be commended for the job they do and they are a credit to themselves, their families, the hospital, county Mayo and the HSE to frequently show such dedication and resilience to do their job in such a pressurised environment,” he says. “I understand support staff have also lost some of their facilities to deal with the overcrowding situation and that is another negative issue compounding the situation.” 

Cllr O’Brien says MUH is serving more than just the people of Mayo, and the facility also caters for people from counties Galway, Sligo and Roscommon on a daily basis.

“Another significant issue that has been brought to my attention while out canvassing is the serious level of under-staffing in all areas of the hospital,” he says. “This is a massive health and safety concern for both staff and patients alike.

MUH applied for planning permission to extend the emergency department and other facilities in December 2023 and it was approved last February. However, Cllr O’Brien states nine months later, despite site clearance works being carried out, there has been “no evident development on this long-awaited extension”. He says this is an issue he will pursue vigorously if elected to Dáil Éireann.