Patient tells of unhygienic practices

A cystic fibrosis sufferer told a weekend conference on MRSA how on several occasions he saw cleaners tend to his room and bathroom with the same cloth, while staying in an Irish hospital.

Noel Walsh (38), Fiddown, Co Kilkenny, said he often cleaned the ward himself with bleach and antiseptic wipes when he stayed in Waterford Regional Hospital.

Mr Walsh, who is on a heart- and lung-transplant waiting list, spoke to the MRSA and Families Conference at the Waterford Institute of Technology on Saturday.

"As a patient, I am disgusted," he said. "If I got MRSA . . . it would set me back one year."

Spokeswoman for the HSE South East area said while she could not comment on individual cases if any patient has any query regarding any aspect of their care, they can contact the complaints officer in the hospital who will follow up on any case.

The conference, opened by Mayor of Waterford Hilary Quinlan, was held two days after a report named Waterford Regional Hospital, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin and St Columcille hospital in Loughlinstown, Co Dublin, as the worst in the country in terms of hygiene and cleaning standards.

The results of the new National Hospitals Hygiene Audit found 91 per cent of 54 Irish hospitals examined to be below acceptable hygiene standards.

Consultant gastroenterologist Dr Michael Whelton told the conference he wished to see a "reduction in bed occupancy rates", claiming that Ireland's figure of more than 100 per cent should be reduced to less than 80 per cent.