Bernard Gloster, the Chief Executive Officer of the Health Service Executive (HSE), has revealed that the health service is gearing up to employ an additional 2,200 staff in the coming year. This announcement was made during the ongoing meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Health, which is assessing the budgetary allocation to the health sector.
Previously, Bernard Gloster had expressed concerns regarding the allocated budget of €22.5 billion, considering it insufficient for the health service’s needs. However, he conveyed to the committee that funding for unplanned care and addressing waiting lists will be adequately provided in 2024.
In a related development, hospital campaigner Marie McMahon raised alarm regarding the distressing conditions at the University Hospital Limerick’s emergency department in the mid-west region. She shared her concerns about the ongoing challenges and lack of improvement, emphasising that patients in the area are apprehensive about seeking care at the facility. Despite widespread awareness of capacity issues from government officials, the HSE, and hospital staff, conditions in the emergency department have not improved. Marie McMahon’s personal experience, involving the death of her husband on a hospital trolley in 2018, underscores the pressing need for change. She stressed the urgency of addressing overcrowding and staff shortages in the region and called for action to rectify this persistent problem.
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