A Co. Cavan Senator has highlighted the story of a mother of three who is currently in Cavan General Hospital.
Senator Pauline Tully spoke about woman in her 30s in the Seanad yesterday.
She claimed that “the failure” of Cavan General Hospital and Beaumount Hospital has robbed the woman of her health and life.
Senator Tully explained that the woman has experienced pain from kidney stones for years.
The woman has been in and out of hospital, and has been on antibiotics, painkillers, and steroids.
Speaking in the Seanad, Sinn Féin Senator Tully outlined the most recent development.
She said: “I want to raise the case of a woman in her 30s who is the mother of children, two of whom are very young. She is currently in Cavan General Hospital and has experienced pain for years due to kidney stones.
“The failure of the hospital and Beaumont Hospital has robbed her of her health and life because she has put up with years of antibiotics, painkillers and steroids while being told her case will be addressed. She has been in and out of hospital.
“A year ago, she was admitted to the hospital when very ill with an infection as a result of kidney stones. She had a recurrence of sepsis. Her partner and parents were called in one night because it was thought that she would not see the morning. Thankfully, she was rushed to Beaumont Hospital and the infection was brought under control.
“A stent was inserted into her kidney in Beaumont and she was told it would be in for a maximum of two months and she would then be brought back to have her kidney stones removed. A year on, she is still waiting for that. The stent is still in her kidney and has become infected,” the Sinn Féin Senator explained.
According to Senator Tully, the woman went back into Cavan General for a routine scan last Friday.
However, a decision was made that the woman should remain in hospital, due to her ill-health.
Senator Tully explained what implications that this will have.
“She was put on a ward yesterday, but had not yet seen a doctor as of midday today. She does not know what is happening. She does not know if she is being sent to Beaumont,” the Cavan woman told the Seanad.
“If her issues had been addressed in a timely fashion she would not require additional medication and hospital stays which cost our health service money. People seem to go to hospital on a regular basis with an issue and are given painkillers and told to go home, and then have to return in a few days or a week later because the condition has worsened,” she added.
In response to the Senator’s statement, the leas-Cathaoirleach, Senator Gareth Ahern, said the story is a good example of the issues with care for people in need.
The Fine Gael Senator said: “Senator Tully spoke about Cavan hospital and gave us another good example of issues with decisions, or lack of decisions, and lack of care for people in need.
“This seems like a very simple thing where kidney stones need to be removed. At no point should this end up with someone having sepsis and being brought to Beaumont Hospital while clinging to life and still waiting for the kidney stones to be removed.
“It seems totally unacceptable - "frustrating" is too light a word - that a simple procedure has not been followed through on. All of the complications that come with that can be so distressing for people,” he added.
