Limerick Site Identified For New Midwest Hospital Campus: A Slap In The Face To People In Clare?

The Health Minister has pledged to enhance services at Ennis Hospital but has given no commitment to emergency care in Clare. Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has described a new “strategic site” acquired in Limerick to solve hospital overcrowding in the MidWest as “HIQA’s Option B and C Plus.” The Minister has described the €14 million, 43.8 acre site in Raheen as a strategic site for the MidWest Health system for the next thirty years, located a 28 minute drive away from Ennis and Nenagh. Over 40% of Clare’s population lives more than an hour’s drive from their nearest Emergency Department and the Minister said her vision for Ennis’s progression is similar to that of Bantry General Hospital in Cork, which doesn’t have an ED or proposals for one. Despite this, Minister Carroll MacNeill insists Clare “was at the centre of their plans” in the MidWest. However, health campaigners here have expressed "anger and deep frustration" following the announcement that a site has been identified for a new hospital campus for the Midwest. The Friends of Ennis Hospital claims 130,000 people in Clare along with a further 80,000 in Tipperary will see limited benefit from the hospital being located in the city. Alan spoke with Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe and Fine Gael TD Joe Cooney about the announcement Image © Alan Place