Tipperary Deputy Michael Lowry wants an increase in services for Nenagh hospital

Tipperary Independent TD, Deputy Michael Lowry has called for increased services at Nenagh Hospital and says this could be a solution to the problems in Limerick.

Speaking in Dáil Éireann this week, he said:
‘UHL serves a population of at least 400,000 people from across North Tipperary, Limerick and Clare. At present, there are 58,000 people in the Mid-West Region on Waiting Lists. Simple common sense dictates that the Hospital cannot cope with the numbers depending on the Emergency Department or the hospital itself’ Deputy Lowry stated during Leaders Question with the Tanaiste on Thursday.

Deputy Michael Lowry

“The option to upgrade and increase the services provided at Nenagh and Ennis hospitals is an obvious way to ease this pressure. I wish to acknowledge and compliment the Management and Staff at Nenagh General Hospital for its workload, throughput and efficiency. Further investment to expand and develop services on this site is a realistic solution to the current crisis at UHL’ he stated.

Deputy Lowry also raised the matter of the provision of an Elective Hospital in Limerick, saying that it is obvious to all that the Mid-West Region needs such an investment to serve the needs of its huge population’ said Deputy Lowry.

The Tanaiste acknowledged that ‘extending and making better use of existing hospitals’, such as Nenagh, Ennis, St. John’s in Limerick and Croom Hospital, in addition to a Private Hospital that is about to be constructed in Limerick, could be ‘the solution for the Mid-West’. This new Private Hospital could be useful to us under the National Treatment Purchase Fund, he stated.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar

With regard to an Elective Hospital for Limerick, the Tanaiste said that no decision has been made at this stage by the Government in relation to this and it is ‘certainly open for consideration.’

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea at all, but I am also realistic about it. I know how long it takes to get a hospital through design, Planning and then built – you’re talking 6 years realistically’ he said, adding that using the existing hospitals could be the better option ‘rather than putting everything into an Elective Hospital which, realistically we may not see until the end of this decade,”Deputy Varadkar said.