A major protest is planned for Limerick city on Saturday morning as the campaign for improved health care services in the Mid West Region resumes after being disrupted by the pandemic.
The Mid West Hospital Campaign group is seeking the restoration of A&E services in hospitals such as Nenagh, St John’s and Ennis to alleviate overcrowding at the ED in University Hospital Limerick.
The protest march in Limerick on Saturday will gather at City Hall, Merchants Quay, and depart at 11am to progress along O’Connell Street before travelling via Henry Street to Arthurs Quay for a rally. The speakers will include Conor Reidy, Nenagh, Melanie Cleary, Limerick, and Noleen Moran from Clare. Conor Reidy and Melanie Cleary will speak of the experience of family members in the ED of UHL. Evie Cleary, Melanie’s daughter died in 2019 from a blood clot, just four hours after being discharged from UHL, where she had spent 17 hours on a trolley after a fall in Limerick city centre. An inquest recorded a verdict of medical misadventure in the case and the coroner accepted “harrowing evidence” about overcrowding in the A&E. The family hoped that overcrowding would be addressed following Evie’s death and says they are devastated to learn of another girl, aged 16, that died in UHL on December 19th, 2022 after spending a long period of time on a trolley.
The organisers are hoping for a strong Tipperary presence at the rally on Saturday.
