The Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill visited Mayo university Hospital this morning to meet with staff and management coping with large volumes of patients at the facility today and during and since Storm Eowyn 12 days ago.
She was accompanied by local Minister of State Alan Dillon.
After they met with management and staff at the hospital the Minister held a press conference.
Midwest News Editor Teresa O’Malley was there…
The press conference was held outdoors at the entrance to the hospital in the pouring rain… why the Minister’s staff and HSE communication staff insisted that the event had to be held outside in the elements baffles me.
But that’s what happened. The reality on the ground at Mayo University Hospital today is that there are no parking spaces available in the carpark, people are abandoning cars in the facility, the Emergency Department is very busy with 34 patients on trolleys waiting for admission, the reception area of the hospital is packed and ,of course, hospital wards are at capacity.
Across the county today there are hundreds of households without electricity or telecom services or both. Many elderly and vulnerable people living without basic infrastructure for twelve days now.
Minister Carrol MacNeill and Minister of State Dillon got the press conference underway…..
There were additional questions from other members of the press on no telephone lines, people unable to contact their GP practice with lines down twelve days after the storm , but again the only response from the Minister for Health was “lessons must be learned”.”Trees cannot be allowed to grow close to vital infrastructure”.
She was asked if every water treatment plants will have to have a generator in future.., she responded they should have… but it’s not her department.
The Minister accepted that storms cannot come as a great surprise in light of climate change and whatever about the last coalition government, this one is going to address it..