The forced closure of a ward at Portiuncula Hospital due to the HSE recruitment freeze is yet another indictment of Health Minister Mary Harney, says Ballinasloe’s Sinn Féin Councillor Jason Devlin. The 28-bed gynaecology ward at Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, is due to close this Sunday December 23 due to staff shortages. The HSE West confirmed this week that the temporary closure of St Clare’s ward “includes the two week period over Christmas when activity is significantly reduced as people generally do not want to be in hospital over the festive period”. It is intended to re-open this ward again in January, according to the statement from the HSE, who also announced that the hospital has received approval to recruit an additional six nursing staff to increase the number of nurses within the hospital. However, according to Cllr Devlin who is himself an employee at the hospital, the ward closure ”makes a mockery of Mary Harney’s pledge that HSE cuts and the recruitment freeze would not affect patient care”. “The planned closure of the ward at Portiuncula Hospital in Galway is yet another indictment of Mary Harney’s record as Health Minister. When the HSE began to impose cuts this autumn both Minister Harney and HSE Chief Brendan Drumm said that cuts would not affect patient care. This was quickly exposed as services were curtailed and wards closed. The Orthopaedic Unit for the Northeast region, serving four counties, and located at Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan, has been closed for most of December,” said Cllr Devlin.

“Now we find another hospital closing an entire ward due to a shortfall of 40 nursing staff. Once again, as in the diagnostic breast cancer scandal in the Midlands, it is women who are being affected. The cap on recruitment to the health services is also a major factor here and is affecting patient care directly. That cap should be lifted with emphasis on recruitment of essential front-line staff.” Source