No Justification for Closed Mater Ward

13 January 2006

by Cllr Joe Costello

Labour’s Joe Costello has called for the re-opening of a closed-down ward in the Mater Hospital to ease the trolley crisis in the hospital. “We know that there are 500 beds out of use across the country, including an entire ward in the Mater,” said Deputy Costello, Labour TD for Dublin Central. “There’s a chronic shortage of space and beds in the A&E, so there’s no reason why this ward should remain closed,” he added The average number of people waiting on trolleys for treatment in the Mater Hospital A&E department this week is 24 according to Labour TD, Joe Costello. The number of trolley patients reached 28 on Tuesday, the highest so far this year, he added. Deputy Costello will lead a protest tomorrow, Saturday January 14, at the Mater Hospital, to highlight the A&E crisis there. “Mary Harney has been the Minister for Health for 16 months. Fixing the crisis in our A&E departments was to be her priority when she took office, but these figures tell us that she has still not made any significant progress,” Deputy Costello said. “The situation in A&E has never been worse with people regularly waiting on a trolley or a chair for up to a week for a bed,” he added. “These protests will continue until the Tanaiste fulfils her promise.”