“No immediate plans” are in place to open a dialysis centre at Ennis General Hospital.
Arising from a joint motion from councillors Pat Daly, James Breen and Pat McMahon at the February meeting of Clare County Council a request on behalf of the local authority was issued to the HSE and UL Hospitals Group to open a kidney dialysis centre at Ennis General Hospital. Cllr Daly maintained “up to fifty patients” in the county were receiving dialysis treatment in Galway and Limerick, “the transport cost is enormous, €1000s is spent every week” he said.
Cllr Breen also highlighted the expenditure incurred. “People in Kilrush and Carrigaholt receiving treatment are almost five hours on the road. The cost of taxis to and from is enormous”.
Group Chief Executive of UL Hospitals, Colette Cowan in a letter to the Council outlined they would not opening such a facility in Ennis in the near future. “A state of the are Renal Department was opened in University Hospital Limerick in November 2016. We currently treat some of our dialysis patients in a satellite centre on the Dock Road in Limerick. This satellite centre is currently operated through a Service Level Agreement with Fresenius which is being re-tendered presently”.
“There are no immediate plans to provide a kidney dialysis centre at Ennis General Hospital,” the Portumna woman confirmed.
