‘Status black’ a symptom of Government failure – Ní Riada

Sinn Féin MEP Liadh Ní Riada has said the ‘Status Black’ escalation in Cork University Hospital is the natural outworking of a legacy of failed policies by Fine Gael and Fianna Fail.

The Ireland South MEP said that while we should all be horrified by the escalation in CUH last night, none of us should be surprised by it.

“These conditions do not arise overnight,” she said.

“This is what happens when consecutive governments fail to invest in our health service, fail to implement much needed reforms and fail to listen to those within the health service telling them what is wrong.

“Last night patients in the Emergency Department faced waits of up to 12 hours, ambulances lined up outside CUH waiting for up to four hours and the hospital was forced to declare a ‘Status Black’ warning, meaning the building was at absolute capacity and to admit any more people would have been dangerous.

“This year we have seen nurses, midwives, paramedics and GPs all taking industrial action. This is exactly what they were trying to warn the government about and in return they got bullied and threatened.

“Our health service is in dire need of a radical overhaul and this government, which is utterly committed to a two tier system, is neither capable of nor willing to make the changes that are necessary.”