Limerick politicians to meet with HSE management following University Hospital Limerick crisis
MANAGEMENT teams from the HSE and University Hospital Limerick are set to brief public representatives on the current health crisis.
The meeting follows the declaration of a major internal incident by the Hospital Crisis Management Team (HCMT) on January 2 when a number of extraordinary measures were put in place to reduce overcrowding, particularly in the Emergency Department.
The meeting will be held with Limerick TDs, senators, UHL management and HSE management.
It is understood that the meeting will be held via a virtual conference call next week.
Limerick city and Green Party TD Brian Leddin who had a recent first-hand experience in UHL believes that not enough is being done regarding the current health crisis.
"I'm not convinced that enough is being done quickly enough. [I don't believe] that the Mid-West is being taken seriously," Deputy Leddin said
"I'll be expressing next week that this is the straw that's breaking the camel's back for people in the Mid-West.
"If you go back to 2018 there was a report that Cork and Galway should receive a new hospital and Limerick shouldn't because you can drive 90 minutes up the road to Galway or 90 minutes down the road to Cork.
Deputy Leddin continued: "That isn't acceptable. That's evidence of people in decision-making not taking the Mid-West seriously and not understanding what the city and region needs."
A planned protest regarding the ongoing crisis at UHL will occur on Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 11am.
The protest will start at Merchant’s Quay in the city, through parts of Limerick city before making its way out to UHL.
A number of meeting points have been scheduled throughout Limerick for those who cannot participate in the whole protest, the second meeting point is the monument of Daniel O'Connell at the top of O’Connell Street, The third meeting point is by the Peony Court Chinese at Punches Cross and the fourth meeting point is by McDonald's at the Crescent Shopping Centre.