The CEO of UL Hospitals Group has apologised to the public for the long wait for the opening of the new Emergency Department.
The CEO of UL Hospitals Group has apologised to the public for the long wait for the opening of the new Emergency Department.
Collette Cowan has confirmed that the centre of excellence at University Hospital Limerick will open in May, despite confusion last month, following the publication of the HSE's service plan.
This week has seen record levels of overcrowding at hospitals across the country, with University Hospital Limerick the worst affected.
Nurses say the number of people waiting for beds there has dipped from 66 earlier this week to 40 today, though the Dooradoyle facility remains the most overcrowded in the country.
The CEO of UL Hospitals Group has denied that the hospital was ill prepared for the influx of patients after the Christmas period.
Colette Cowan insists that a number of measures were taken in advance to relieve pressure on the ED including the cancellation of elective surgeries, the introduction of additional beds and staffing and the provision of home care packages.
The emergency department has been described as a "war zone" by some, but Colette Cowan insists the facility is safe.
The UL Hospitals Group has now madea a committment that the new Emergency Department at the region's main hospital will open in May as planned.
The HSE's Service Plan, published last month, cast doubt over the date, saying its due to be completed in the last quarter of the year, but Colette Cowan says steps have been taken to ensure the unit is open in full, in four months time.
And, she's apologised to the public for the long wait currently.
Clare's Fianna Fáil TD has welcomed Ms Cowan's Comments, saying the new ED is long overdue.
But he believes that the changes within the HSE's Service plan only three weeks after it's published points to a greater problem.
