*Dr Tom Nolan. Photograph: Tom Micks.
CLARE’s politicians have “let us down” when it comes to fighting for better health services in the county.
Kilrush GP, Dr Tom Nolan said the county’s politicians need to be held accountable for the lack of acceptable health services in the county.
Speaking at Monday’s public meeting organised by the Friends of Ennis Hospital, Dr Nolan said the people of Clare have not pinpointed healthcare as their most important issue when it comes to elections.
In 2024, Nolan was unsuccessful in his bid to become a TD for Clare and as such didn’t follow in the footsteps of Dr Moosajee Bhamjee (1992) and Dr Michael Harty (2016) when Clare elected Doctors to the Dáil.
Dr Nolan stated, “Our politicians despite all the bleating hearts here tonight, they have not done the business in representing Clare. Laois and Offaly have smaller populations than Clare but each of them has an emergency department and a model three hospital, Clare is bigger but has none so what the hell is going on”.
“It is as clear as the noses on our faces but our politicians have let us down,” the Kilkee man added. He was formerly a prominent member of the Ennis Hospital Action Group.
Referring to his General Election campaign where he amassed 2,139 first preference votes, Dr Nolan stated, “I tried to be one of them but I failed and I didn’t get in”. He added, “the people of Clare have not voted for healthcare as their most important issue”.
Prior to the closing of the emergency department at Ennis Hospital in 2009, Dr Nolan had been vocal in warning for up to six years on the potential damage that reconfiguration could cause, following the publication of the Hanly Report.
Labelling the HSE as “the big problem,” Dr Nolan commented that “massive bureaucracy gets in the way” of progress. “Forever there has been war from the HSE to medical people or the troops on the ground be they home care providers, ambulance staff or anybody involved that they can’t adequately control”.
He added, “Bureaucracy is the HSE, they love reports and figures, you are feeding their hunger by not dealing with the problem by pointing out what it is”.
Mayor of Clare, Cllr Paul Murphy (FG) took offence to the comments made by Nolan. “I felt Dr Nolan’s comments was a pointed attack, that is democracy, the PR system is what people vote for and the PR system is what elects our politicians, that is democracy”.
Lack of influence at Cabinet has hurt Clare’s sway in securing better health services, Cllr Murphy maintained. “Other counties with better services were mentioned but they have had senior ministers and it has been a long time since we have had a senior minister in Clare and it would be a big help to us in Clare to have one. To me, that is the difference and that would be the game changer”.
Murphy’s strong reaction suggests a degree of tension still exists within Fine Gael. The Clarecastle man was a staunch member of the Leonore Carey (FG) camp, both she and Dr Nolan were part of a three-candidate ticket where Joe Cooney TD (FG) was elected.
Speaking later in the meeting, Dr Nolan assured Cllr Murphy, “I’ve no intention of running for election again so Mr Murphy can relax”. He thanked Cathal Crowe TD (FF) for attending the meeting “and having the accountability”. He stressed that problems in the Mid-West on health care are “fixable on a political level”.
