Mid-West Hospital Campaign to stand in next election

The Mid-West Hospital Campaign (MWHC) is to stand in the next general election, having announced a candidate for the Limerick City constituency.

Melanie Sheehan Cleary, the mother of Eve Cleary who died in 2019 after being discharged from University Hospital Limerick, will be on the ballot there.

The campaign’s key demand is the re-opening of Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s A&E.

It is considering its options on standing candidates in Co Clare and Co Tipperary, the group said.

“I was never political or active in this way before Eve died,” said Ms Sheehan Cleary after being selected.

“I thought that her death would be the catalyst for change, but nothing happened afterwards. Instead, more families have had to suffer as we did.”

She added: “People might dismiss this as a single-issue campaign, but we will make no apology for making every effort to put this crisis at the top of the national agenda. We have been ignored for far too long.

“We will have other positions that we will put forward, but the main thing I’d say is we are not going to accept the re-opening of our A&Es at the expense of any other community. We are not for robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

MWHC spokesperson for Limerick Charlotte Keane said “politicians aren’t listening” to the group.

“We have tried protests, lobbying our public reps, petitions to Oireachtas committees – but it’s clear that the vested interests behind the decision to downgrade our A&Es in 2009 still hold sway. The politicians aren’t listening to us. To this day, still not one elected TD in Limerick City supports the re-opening of Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s A&Es.

“We warned them in February of 2020 at our protest outside St John’s Hospital that we would come to Dublin if they didn’t re-open our A&Es. This is us following up on that pledge.”