A dedicated ‘Cataract Centre’ has been formally opened this morning at Nenagh Hospital, Nenagh, North Co. Tipperary; same which aims to reduce cataract waiting list procedures by over 2,000 by the end of next year.
Presently the facility will only opened only one day of each week, during which time it can only provide 12 procedures per week, however the HSE have stated that it is expected that the centre will open five days a week by early 2019, with 2000 procedures completed by the end of that same year.
An investment of some €1 million has now succeeded in equipping two theatres and associated recovery rooms, matching only one other available and dedicated centre, namely the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, on Adelaide Road, Co. Dublin.
Waiting lists nationally for people who need ophthalmic procedures remain extraordinary high, with 41,224 people waiting for outpatient or surgical procedures at the end of September last.
Dr. Marie Hickey Dwyer, herself a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Nenagh Hospital, and previously a past President of the Irish College of Ophthalmology, stated that this long awaited new clinic will give more capacity to tackle long waiting lists.
In the mid-west region alone over 4,200 people are waiting for an initial eye clinic appointment, and almost 1,000 more are waiting for a simple one day case procedure.
Nenagh Hospital gets new 18-bed end of life care unit.
A new 18-bed medical unit made up of 16 single room units, and one two-bed unit; same aimed at providing end of life care for patients, was also opened at Nenagh hospital today.
The facility is named the ‘Gloster Suite’, in line with the wishes of the late Mrs Alice Gloster, of Rathnaleen, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, who left a large bequest to the Friends of Nenagh Hospital Group, to assist in the funding of this new unit.
Very good for Tipp.