Fuel protests impacting patients, warns health minister

Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has said the fuel protests are having an impact on patients and that, at a minimum, planned operations will have to be cancelled next week in order to prioritise getting healthcare staff to those who need care most.

She said the clinical risk to patients is becoming more serious, including people being unable to access cancer treatment, delays to dialysis appointments, and the risk of fuel shortages for ambulances, even though they are being prioritised.

The minister said she was concerned about ambulances being able to respond to emergencies.

She added that the health service is having to provide accommodation for some staff who are particularly affected.

She also pointed out that elderly people are dependent on healthcare workers being able to visit them.

Minister Carroll MacNeill described the situation within the health service as escalating and confirmed that the Health Threats Group has been stood up.

It met today, with the minister and ministers of state briefed by the Chief Medical Officer and the CEO of the HSE.

The group is expected to provide further updates tomorrow.

The minister's warnings echo concerns expressed by the Medical Council of Ireland that the protests are affecting patients attending medical appointments, delaying healthcare staff from reaching those in their care and hampering the ability of emergency services to respond to life-threatening situations.

"We acknowledge that causing harm to patients or disrupting healthcare access is not the intention of those involved in the protests," it said in a statement.

"However, the reality is that this is the impact being felt on the ground, and we would ask that those involved take steps to ensure that the most vulnerable in our communities are not inadvertently placed at risk," it added.

The Medicial Council of Ireland said it was calling on those involved in the protests to ensure that approaches to hospitals, GP practices, and all healthcare facilities remain clear, and that emergency vehicles are given free passage at all times.

President of the Medical Council Dr Suzanne Crowe said: "We understand that many people are under enormous financial pressure and we recognise the frustration that has led to these protests.

"However, patient safety is our primary concern, and we are deeply worried about the impact that delays to emergency services and healthcare access can have.

In medicine, minutes matter, a delayed ambulance or a patient unable to reach hospital can have consequences that are simply irreversible.

"We are asking everyone involved to please be conscious of that."
"Healthcare workers across the country, particularly those commuting to Dublin hospitals, are facing serious difficulties getting to work due to protest related disruptions on major routes including the M50, M1, M7, M4 and M11," she added.

Mr Musgrave said that he felt a "line has been crossed".

"I think many carers sympathise with the goal of the protest, to get fuel prices down," he said.

Separately, a woman travelling to visit her father in hospital spoke of how the protests impacted her.

Linda got caught up in the blockades on the N11 while travelling from Wexford to a Dublin hospital.

"Yesterday morning, I was going up to St Vincent's Hospital to meet the consultant and the palliative care team in relation to my Dad.

My Dad is going to be 87 on Monday but we only have a short time left with him," she said on RTÉ's Today with David McCullagh.

"As we went around the bend on the N11, past the exit slip road, we came to a standstill.

There was a very slow 20-kilometre drive, and I noticed on the hard shoulder randomly parked some trucks.

The ambulance, fire engines, police wouldn't have been able to use the hard shoulder.

"I was lucky I got to the hospital and my Dad is still with us ...

but there are people that were caught on the N11, I'm sure, weren't lucky."
Linda said she was no longer in support of the protests as a result.

"They've made their point ...

my support for them has waned," she said.

"I did initially (support them), I thought, yes, good for them, but now it's too long."
The Irish Medical Organisation has said that slower emergency services response times and missed healthcare appointments because of blockades will have a hugely detrimental effect on patient welfare nationwide.

Speaking at the organisation's AGM in Killarney, its incoming president, Professor Matthew Sadlier, said it was unacceptable that the disproportionate actions of a minority are having such a significant negative impact on patients.

He said there should always be room for peaceful protest in this country, but not at the expense of patient welfare due to the deliberate targeting of critical infrastructure.