A continuing strike at the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore would be a "total disaster" for patients, a member of the Midland Health Board said last night, writes Chris Dooley.
Mr Tommy McKeigue said he feared that the Irish Medical Organisation would use the regional hospitals in Tullamore and Waterford to fight a national campaign against the introduction of new rosters.
"At least if there was a national strike, it would bring matters to a head very quickly," he said. "Our big worry is that Tullamore and Waterford will be targeted and it could drag on."
Mr McKeigue, a Fine Gael member of the board, claimed the Tullamore hospital would be unable to function if the strike was prolonged. "The nursing staff can only do so much. Whatever about the consultants, a hospital cannot work without junior doctors."
The local community, he said, had been very worried since last week when it became clear the strike was likely to go ahead. "You may be talking about the cancellation of minor procedures, but for the people involved they have serious complaints.
"In a lot of cases we're talking about elderly people and going into hospital can be a very worrying experience for them, regardless of the treatment."
Despite their fears about the strike, local people were very sympathetic towards the doctors involved, he said. "There would be a lot of respect for them in Tullamore. People are aware of the great work they do and the huge hours they have put in. In this type of situation, all the sympathy goes to the doctors and nurses."
Only four people turned up at the hospital yesterday for appointments that had been deferred because of the dispute. They were the lucky ones. The hospital allowed their appointments to go ahead and they were seen by medical staff, said the hospital manager, Mr Peter Waters.
Ms Molly Buckley, a Fine Gael member of Tullamore Town Council, also said there would be sympathy for the doctors. But the strike would have a traumatic effect on patients if the dispute continued. Many of them had waited months and even years for operations such as hip replacements.