C diff outbreak caused by neglect - FG

[Posted: Wed 04/11/2009 by Joanne McCarthy]

The C diff outbreak in Drogheda Hospital is evidence of neglect of the northeast, Fine Gael has said.
 
Ten cases of the hospital superbug Clostridium difficile (C diff) have been confirmed in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, and two deaths are being investigated to determine if C diff was a cause or contributory factor in the deaths.
 
Fine Gael Health spokesperson, Dr James Reilly, said the cases of C diff are further evidence of a broken system operating in the northeast of this country.
 
“We have seen the people of the northeast suffer misdiagnoses in cancer, while 6,000 x-rays had to be checked. This is the same region that saw the scandals of Michael Neary, afflicting the lives of many women with unnecessary surgery,” Dr Reilly pointed out.  
 
“This is also the area where Michael Shine operated and was subsequently found to be guilty of professional misconduct and inappropriate sexual behaviour. This is also the hospital which has the highest incidence of symphysiotomy performed. The latter two groups still await justice,” he said.
 
According to Dr Reilly, this hospital has clearly been poorly resourced, and closures of hospitals at Monaghan and the reduction in services at Dundalk and Navan have resulted in unbearable strain being placed on Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.
 
“It is not fair on the staff and it is particularly unfair on patients in the region to continue to operate under such duress. The Minister must make provision to address the capacity issues at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital given that the Minister for Justice is on record as saying that there is not a red cent for any new hospital for the region,” he said.
 
Local Louth TD Fergus O’Dowd expressed his sympathies to the families of the two people who died who had C diff.
 
“This outbreak at a hospital that is already under pressure is very worrying and it is clear that overcrowding at Our Lady of Lourdes makes hygiene control difficult,” he said.
 
“Patients of Our Lady’s will now have to cope with ward closures and cancelled procedures while the hospital tries to get this infection under control. I hope they can achieve that quickly and that this situation is not aggravated further by swine flu,” Mr O’Dowd concluded.