Health services prioritised emergency and time-sensitive care on Friday as the continued fuel protests disrupted patients and staff around the country.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Health Service Executive chief Anne O’Connor this week called for approaches to medical facilities to be kept clear for emergency service access.
Children’s hospitals have been feeling the impact, with management saying families of children receiving chemotherapy have taken hours to get home.
The widespread disruption caused by the protests and blockades for the fourth consecutive day resulted in some health regions moving to “contingency plans” to ensure continuation of care to patients.
READ MORE
Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien confirmed fuel distribution has become “absolutely critical” to the point that “the fire and emergency services . . . will be curtailed because of fuel”.
HSE South West, which covers Cork and Kerry, said the emerging fuel supply issue had the potential to impact service delivery and “as a precaution, local contingency plans have been activated”.
“Senior management teams are maintaining close operational oversight to ensure the continued safety of patients and staff,” the statement said.
“Critical services, including emergency care, urgent patient transport and time‑sensitive treatments (eg dialysis, oncology, complex paediatric cases, bowel care, urgent care etc.) will be prioritised.”
The health region said services were directed to “review staffing, transport, supplies and discharge arrangements to minimise disruption, and non‑urgent activity may be deferred where necessary”.
“HSE South West is working closely with national colleagues and relevant agencies to monitor the situation.”
[ The three reasons why the Government refuses to meet the fuel protestersOpens in new window ]
HSE Dublin and North East said it was “actively managing a potential fuel supply issue within the region, which may affect service delivery across all four integrated health areas”.
The region includes a range of hospitals including Beaumont, the Mater, Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, Rotunda Hospital and Our Lady of Lourdes Drogheda, among others.
Children’s Health Ireland (CHI), the organisation that runs Dublin’s children’s hospitals, said the protests have “had an impact on services in CHI at Crumlin, Connolly, Tallaght and Temple Street”.
“They have delayed patients and families attending hospital appointments and have delayed healthcare staff getting to and from work which impacts operational activity.”
Sources working within children’s health services said the families of children receiving chemotherapy have reported taking five hours to get home, while others have been two or three hours late for appointments.
Many families have said there is “huge stress and anxiety” associated with attending appointments, particularly for children who are too unwell to use public transport.
All health regions encouraged patients with scheduled appointments to contact their service directly if they anticipated being late or unable to attend.
Meanwhile, Ireland’s largest doctors’ union called for an “immediate end” to fuel blockades, warning slower response times and missed appointments will have a “hugely detrimental” impact on patient welfare.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the Irish Medical Organisation in Killarney on Friday, Prof Matthew Sadlier, president of the union, said it was unacceptable that the disproportionate actions of a minority are having such a significant negative impact on patients.
“There should always be room for peaceful protest in this country, but not at the expense of patient welfare due to the deliberate targeting of critical infrastructure,” he said.
“These blockades mean our emergency services are not currently able to respond as quickly as they ordinarily do, meaning patients will be delayed receiving urgent and, in many cases, life-saving treatment. This cannot continue.”
