The plan to build a new national children’s hospital at the Mater Hospital site was always problematic. I now call on the Minister for health and the HSE to invest in our existing children’s’ hospitals. The Children’s Hospital in Crumlin wants to build a new cardiac critical care facility and to upgrade their cancer treatment facilities. They need to replace old and cramped wards.
The Irish Association for Emergency Medicine has this week expressed alarm at what they say is a 700% increase in children waiting on hospital beds. They also point out that children ‘not infrequently’ spent over 12 hours on trolleys in paediatric emergency departments (PEDs).
They say there has been an eightfold increase in the number of children who receive complete episode of care in PEDs, as opposed to 2008.
These are issues which need to be dealt with urgently by the Minister and the HSE.