Protests will delay treatment for 16,000
Saturday November 21 2009
MORE than 16,000 patients, many due operations or diagnostic tests, will have their hospital care cancelled on Tuesday as most health workers take to the picket line.
The HSE said emergency cover would be provided and some areas, such as cancer treatment, had been exempt from the strike action.
Most of those whose appointments were cancelled will probably have to wait another two or three weeks to be seen.
The effects will also be felt on Monday, when all non-emergency operations are cancelled, affecting another estimated 1,600 patients. However, outpatient clinics and day-care procedures will continue as normal.
Home helps who care for elderly and people with a disability are exempt from the strike but public-health nurses will only see emergency cases.
Voluntary intellectual disability services and care-of-the-elderly services have been exempted.
Also excluded are intensive/critical care, burns units, dialysis, oncology/ chemotherapy units, neuro surgery, maternity and palliative care. Around 13,000 of the 110,000 staff in the health service will be working, including doctors, laboratory staff, dentists and senior managers.
Dr Joe Devlin of the HSE directorate of quality and clinical care said they were advising the public not to present to A&E departments on Tuesday unless as a "genuine emergency". He added: "The best advice is to contact your GP in the first instance for non-emergency care or your out-of-house GP service".
- Eilish O'Regan Health Correspondent
Irish Independent
