Connacht Tribune
Concern over the sick avoiding Emergency Dept
There are serious concerns that people who are sick and require hospitalisation may be avoiding hospital Emergency Departments due to Covid-19 anxiety – risking long-term but potentially preventable damage to their health.
That’s according to Saolta Hospital Group Clinical Director for Medicine, Dr Ramona McLoughlin, who told the Connacht Tribune that attendance to the ED at University Hospital Galway had dropped significantly in recent weeks.
“Our big worry is that people are not going to ED or to their GP because of coronavirus,” she explained.
Dr McLoughlin said that conditions such as MI (myocardial infarction or heart attack), stroke or kidney infection were not any less likely to occur now, in the midst of this global pandemic, than they were beforehand.
“This pandemic does not prevent any other diseases,” she stressed, adding that EDs nationwide had seen similar decreases in the number of people attending with common conditions that would still be occurring, despite the lockdown.
All necessary precautions had been taken at UHG to ensure that patients presenting to the ED with any symptoms indicating the presence of Covid-19 were kept separate from those with other illnesses, said Dr McLoughlin.
“We have put in pathways at the entrance to the ED – if you have [flu-like] symptoms, you go down one pathway; if you have a suspected MI, stroke or appendicitis, you go down a separate pathway,” she continued.
Daily presentations to the ED at UHG – the main acute hospital in the region – have been around 50 people for day; the norm was about 180 to 250 people per day, said Dr McLoughlin.
As talk turns to how the country will return to some semblance of normality in coming weeks, Dr McLoughlin said people had to prepare for a return to what would be a new normal – and this was particularly relevant for medicine.
“We have been really lucky in Ireland with how social distancing has helped.
“The death rate in Ireland is about half that in the UK, but the big worry is how we are going to get back to life with Covid-19 – it’s not going to be normal life,” she said.
While there were hopes that a vaccine will be available, it was at least 12 months away – a timeframe Dr McLoughlin called optimistic – and there was still a lot unknown about achieving immunity to this novel virus.
Other areas of healthcare have been impacted, with many elective surgeries cancelled; many clinics have been moved to virtual fora due to concerns over keeping people in waiting rooms; while the reluctance to attend GP surgeries or ED could result in delayed diagnosis, she said.
“With cancer, there is a whole range of concerns. If a patient doesn’t present with symptoms, that could delay diagnosis.
“Because we were preparing for a pandemic surge, we did reduce elective activity to free up space so that did reduce clinic activity and elective procedures. That could well have an impact on diagnosis.
“We can open back up those activities and utilise the Galway Clinic and Bon Secours so that procedures can be operated in a non-Covid hospital, as far as you can say that about anywhere,” she said.
For patients having chemotherapy for cancer, provision had been made to administer treatment in clinic rooms at UHG which provided better protection, given that they were immunosuppressed.
People presenting to the ED in psychiatric emergencies were also being taken straight to the new Adult Acute Mental Health Unit, said Dr McLoughlin.
She advised that people exercise their own judgement and to seek medical assistance when they needed it or, “they may end up with more serious difficulties”.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
