Over 5,650 cancellations at MRH Mullingar in 2023

Newly released data has revealed that there were 5,655 cancellations at Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar last year.

The figures were released by the HSE to Sinn Féin spokesperson on health David Cullinane TD. Deputy Cullinane's party colleague Deputy Sorca Clarke says that the government’s lack of a plan for overcrowding was impacting directly on waiting lists through cancellations.

She added that the government was shifting the problem from emergency departments to waiting lists, leaving patients waiting longer for access to care.

“The government is failing to tackle hospital overcrowding which is leading to record levels of cancellations.

“Thirteen years of Varadkar, Harris, and Donnelly have made the health service worse. They have decimated local health services and created a crisis in our hospitals. The Government does not have a plan for hospital overcrowding, and this is forcing hospitals to rely on cancellations. This is shifting the problem from overcrowded emergency departments onto lengthy waiting lists. It is not a sustainable solution."

Deputy Clarke said that Sinn Féin has a plan to improve the health service by delivering 3,000 hospital and community beds, ending the recruitment embargo, training more healthcare professionals, and investing in local health services.

“We will invest in better local health services including GP care and a pharmacy first model.

“Sinn Féin would fast-track elective centres so that we can separate unscheduled, emergency care from scheduled surgeries and procedures. This will increase surgical theatre capacity, help to reduce the number of cancellations, and free up capacity in hospitals for emergency care.

“We would also invest in home support, community step-down beds, and diagnostic capacity so that patients can be discharged home or to a supported care setting when they are ready, and to ensure that patients’ experiences are not delayed by lengthy waiting lists for scans.

“Simon Harris will not fix in 10 months the disaster which Fine Gael have created over 13 years. It’s time for a health minister who will stand up for people and deliver the change that the health service needs.”