The HSE has apologised unreservedly for long delays in the treatment by the Mid-Western Regional Hospital of two patients in their nineties who had sustained hip breaks.
A 91-year-old man who went to the emergency department last Sunday spent over 24 hours on a trolley and was still waiting for surgery last night.
The second patient, a 92-year-old woman, presented at 7pm last Wednesday with a broken hip. She was not seen by a doctor until 6.30am on Thursday and was finally admitted to a ward at 1pm that day, according to Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris.
Mr Ferris contacted Minister for Health James Reilly about the case, complaining that her surgery had been delayed several times and she had been fasting since Wednesday apart from tea and a slice of toast daily.
Last night, the HSE said it was investigating the delays in order to prevent a recurrence. A spokesman said the demand for surgery last weekend was “unprecedented and unpredictable”.
