THE much-lauded new Surgical Hub, due to open on O’Connell Avenue before the end of the year will have just half of the funding it needs to operate, it has been revealed.
The Hub is intended to take on elective and day procedures, cut waiting lists for non-acute operations and take the pressure off the busy operating theaters at University Hospital Limerick .
It was envisaged that the Hub would carry out 20,000 proceedure a year.
But Sinn Féin TD for Limerick, Maurice Quinlivan, has been informed that not only is the opening now later this year instead of the May deadline first announced, but on half the operating costs are being provided.
This will mean not enough staff to utilise the full potetnial of the Hub.
Deputy Quinliven criticised the government for its “lack of urgency in addressing the healthcare crisis in the Midwest”.
Addressing the Taoiseach today (Wednesday) in the Dáil, deputy Quinlivan said the Taoiseach must intervene to ensure the UHL group gets the 100% budget needed to make the new Surgical Hub effective.
“University Hospital Limerick is not receiving the support that it needs. Compare UHL with UHW in Waterford. Despite UHL having double the number of presentations at its emergency department, University Hospital Waterford has more consultants than UHL. This is a clear demonstration of the years of underfunding for the Midwest.
“Compounding this neglect of the Midwest is confirmation, by the HSE, that the opening of the Limerick Surgical Hub, which was planned to open in May, is now not expected until end of year. However, what is much more concerning is that HSE are only allocating funding of 50% of what is necessary to operate the Hub.
“Limerick Surgical Hub was to have 20,000 procedures per year, has been delayed and now not only has it been delayed but the hub will only receive 50% of the budget it requires to complete 20,000 procedures. It will struggle to achieve 10,000 procedures.”
Concluding his remarks, Deputy Quinlivan stated:
“For too many years now Limerick and the Midwest has been left behind. The crisis that is our citizens being treated on hospital trolleys is not new, it has been a recurring theme for years. The surgical Hub, if resourced, will be a small part in fixing the crisis in the ED in UHL, it must be funded.”
“As an immediate measure the Taoiseach must intervene to ensure the UHL group gets the 100% budget needed to make the Surgical Hub effective. Failure to do this is not acceptable”.