The lives of patients in South Tipperary are being put at risk by the ongoing division of acute medical and surgical services across two hospitals located 15 miles apart, a consultant in the region claimed yesterday.
Dr Paud O'Regan, consultant physician at St Joseph's Hospital, Clonmel, said the division of services between his hospital in Clonmel and Our Lady's Hospital in Cashel was resulting in delayed diagnosis and delayed treatment for patients, as well as unnecessary transportation from one hospital to another of frequently very ill, and often, very old patients.
"The risks to the health and safety of patients are real and a list of actual and potentially very serious mishaps from the first three weeks in August involving one consultant's patients has been provided to the hospital management, the health board officials and to the Department of Health," he said.
Dr O'Regan refused to elaborate on these "mishaps" yesterday, but said if action wasn't taken to remedy the risks posed to patients, he would have to consider making them public. There was no point in remaining silent as silence was what allowed Dr Michael Neary, the former consultant obstetrician in Drogheda, continue with Caesarean hysterectomies as he did for years, he said.
The division of acute services in South Tipperary, he explained, meant 24-hour medical cover was not available for surgical patients in Cashel who developed medical illness. It also meant surgical opinions and treatment were not available on site in Clonmel for acutely ill medical patients who developed surgical problems.
Furthermore, it meant there was no intensive care unit in Clonmel and that a comprehensive epidural service could not be provided to maternity patients in Clonmel.
In 1995, recognising the difficulties posed by the separation of services, the then Minister for Health Mr Michael Noonan gave the go-ahead for the provision of all acute services on the Clonmel site.
A building to house the transferred surgical services from Cashel was completed at a cost of about €25 million, but is now largely lying idle because of a lack of funds to staff it. The new development includes three new operating theatres, a new accident and emergency unit, a new day ward and 40 acute surgical beds.
"We have been informed that the matter is in the hands of the Department of Finance, but that in the current fiscal climate they are unlikely to provide the money this year but may reconsider the matter in June of next year," Dr O'Regan said.
This he said was unacceptable, adding that the present "dreadfully risky situation" needed to be remedied as a matter of urgency.
The Minister for Health Mr Martin is due to visit the Clonmel hospital on Friday week to mark its 150th anniversary. "He will inspect the newly developed areas of the hospital and it is our greatest hope that from some source the €3.2 million additional money required to staff the new service may be announced," Dr O'Regan said. "We are appalled to think that the present circumstances may continue for a minute longer than necessary".