This article is from page 17 of the 2014-01-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 17 JPG
CALLS have been made for a sustained “period of civil disobedience” to take place in Clare following the closure of the acute assessment unit at Ennis General Hospital last week.
The subject was discussed following an emergency adjournment of yesterday’s January meeting of Clare County Council with councillors voting to write to the Minister for Health, James Reilly (FG), to demand that new staff are deployed to the Ennis hospital.
The acute assessment unit was closed for a number of days last week with Clare patients being referred to Limerick, which was also suffering acute overcrowding at the time. The Clare People understands that the closure in Ennis was a result of a single doctor being off on sick leave and a replacement doctor not being made available. A replacement doctor was eventually deployed from but the Ennis unit was forced to close for a number of days.
Independent Cllr James Breen, called for the public to take direct action against the Government in an effort to force the HSE to deploy more staff to Ennis General Hospital.
“It is just not good enough. We have been given promises from minister after minister all saying that we would have a first class medical service here in Clare. We can throw money at everything; we have € 50 million to spent on consultants for Irish Water but people cannot get life or death tests carried out at Ennis General Hospital,” he said.
“I think the time has come for a long period of civil disobedient in this country. People should stop paying their property tax. People in unions should stop paying those unions, because the unions are not doing what they are supposed to.”
The motion was seconded by Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG).
“The population of this county is receiving a second class service when this medical assessment unit in not open,” said Cllr Flynn.