Chairman of the acute services reconfiguration project in the Mid-West Mr Paul Burke has defended the position of St John’s Hospital, Limerick, in the context of the implementation of the review of acute hospital services in the region.The Irish Medical News reports that some doctors in the area have questioned why certain surgical services are due to continue to be performed in St John’s, but will stop being provided by Ennis and Nenagh General Hospitals under the reconfiguration programme.
Although like Ennis and Nenagh, emergency services in St John’s will be curtailed under the programme, it will provide five-day elective surgical services in comparison to the other two hospitals, which will only provide day surgery. However, Mr Burke states this is necessary because of the proximity of St John’s to Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, with which it also shares a number of consultant staff.
“There is a need to have proximity between the unit in which five-day surgery is being done and where the other major surgery is being done.” Mr Burke told IMN.
