Campaign group are 'hopeful' after positive meeting with Taoiseach in Limerick
MEMBERS of the Mid-West Hospital Campaign Group said they had a "positive" meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar during his visit to Limerick.
Following his visit to UHL on Friday afternoon, the Taoiseach met with members of the group who are calling for the Emergency Departments at St John's, Ennis and Nenagh hospitals to be reopened.
Melanie Cleary, mother of Eve who passed away hours after she was discharged from UHL following 17 hours on a trolley, said she felt like Mr Varadkar "really listened" to what she had to say.
"I came here today because I want an outside investigation into Eve's death. He was very warm towards me and after the meeting he asked to speak to me privately.
"I think he was taken aback by Eve's story and he wanted to know exactly what happened. He listened to me and took on board what I was saying".
Charlotte Keane, Janesboro, said she felt positive following the meeting and that the Fine Gael leader was "empathetic" towards them and their stories.
"He said he is going to put resources in place but we still need help and we need it now. We can't wait two years for 96 beds.
"I have come out hopeful that change will happen. There is no one size fits all solution and a number of things need to happen."
The Taoiseach assured the group that he was planning to sit down for a discussion with Stephen Donnelly, Minister for Health and Bernard Gloster, CEO of the HSE, once the latter he had begun his role.
Following the meeting, the Taoiseach released a statement thanking the group for the "useful" discussion.
"He highlighted some of the areas he would be exploring, in conjunction with the Government representatives for the Mid-West region, to improve care for patients in the region.
"He agreed with the need to upgrade Nenagh, St John’s and Ennis but noted that this needed to be done safely and in a staffable way."
Mr Varadkar visited UHL on Friday after turning the sod on a new private hospital in Ballysimon, which is due to open in 2025.
The state-of-the-art facility will have 150 beds and create 250 jobs.