Costello to hold final vigil at Mater Hospital as new A&E to open

15 February 2013

by Cllr Joe Costello

Tomorrow, Saturday 16^th February from 1 to 2 p.m, the Labour Party in Dublin Central will hold a final vigil outside the Mater Hospital A&E on the North Circular Road, Dublin 7.

This weekly vigil started in April 2003 and has continued for almost ten years. The purpose of the vigil has been to highlight the deplorable state of the A&E in the Mater Hospital, and the unacceptable practice of A&E patients left sitting on chairs and lying on trolleys for long periods of time while waiting for a bed for treatment.

A new state of the art A&E will open in the Mater Hospital on Sunday 17^th February.  Speaking on the eve of the final vigil, Minister Joe Costello said:

“I am proud of all the people who participated in the vigil, week after week, and month after month, for almost ten years demanding that proper medical care facilities be provided for the vulnerable, ill and often frightened elderly people who came to the A&E for emergency care. 

“The A&E is the first interface between the hospital and the patient, and it should be welcoming, modern and fit for purpose.  The determination of those who participated in that long vigil has at last been rewarded with the closure of the old degrading A&E and with the provision of a brand new A&E.  A&E patients will now, at last, be treated in a humane and comfortable environment.”