Workers’ Party Dublin North West candidate Jimmy Dignam has urged the government to start taking the crisis in the health system seriously. Speaking in response to the news that Beaumont Hospital is postponing non-urgent procedures today,
Dignam said, “the Government and Minister Varadkar need to stop sitting on their hands pretending the crisis has nothing to do with their cuts to the health budget and take serious steps to resolve it”.
The response by Beaumont Hospital follows similar action taken by the Mater Hospital yesterday. “Beaumont currently has the highest number of patients on trolleys in the country and the Mater is close behind. When is the Minister going to start paying attention instead of lip service?’”asked Dignam.
“Minister Varadkar cannot simply blame this overcrowding crisis on the flu virus. The system should be designed and funded appropriately so that it can deal with increased capacity at busy times of the year’, Jimmy Dignam stated.
The Workers’ Party representative concluded by saying, ‘the Government must listen to the concerns and proposals of trade unions, healthcare workers and patients. The continuing crisis in our health system is a direct consequence of inadequate funding, staffing cuts and the lack of an acute bed system.’