Hospital shambles

There has been much news in the Irish media about the state of the Irish health services. Graphic descriptions have been painted of the chaos that reigns in many A&E departments in hospitals around the country. Stories of misdiagnoses have also been carried in the media.

Today at 08.00 I visited a ward in the Mater Hospital in Dublin. I was flabbergasted with what I saw. It was a very big ward - far too big and there was a large number of patients in the ward. Every bed was occupied. But there was not even a curtain separating bed from bed. The room was enormous. Who is responsible for this shambles?

I was visiting an elderly Dominican. He was sitting out on a chair when his breakfast arrived. There was nothing gentle or caring about everything I saw in the Mater Hospital this morning. If we cannot give the best of care to the sick and vulnerable then surely we should hang our heads in shame. How can this State claim to be at the top of any economic statistics if this is the way we care for the sick?