A SURGEON at Galway’s University College Hospital has threatened to resign as a result of the failure of hospital management to provide him with the facilities he needs, including theatre time, to do his job.
The plight of colorectal surgeon Myles Joyce, who joined the staff of the hospital about 15 months ago, was outlined to delegates attending the annual conference of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation yesterday.
Minister for Health James Reilly, after addressing delegates, said he was “utterly appalled that a surgeon who is such a key part of a service, and possibly the most expensive part of the service, is not able to do his work and not able to perform”.
He said he would investigate the matter as it was “absolutely scandalous” if a surgeon had been left for months without an operating theatre.
“This is not the way a health service should function . . . it’s utterly unacceptable that we are so disorganised . . . I find that staggering if it’s true,” he added.
It is understood Mr Joyce signalled to hospital management he would resign if appropriate facilities were not provided to him to allow him operate on both emergency and elective patients. Behind the scenes efforts were being made yesterday to try to find a solution to the problem and to try to avoid a resignation.
Asked about the matter the HSE West would only say “we do not comment on individual staff human resources matters”.
Prof Oliver McAnena, who is also a surgeon at the hospital, said it was a constant battle to get theatre time and all surgeons in the hospital were frustrated by this. He said he used to operate for two full days a week but it was now proposed to reduce this to one day a week.
He urged Dr Reilly to lift the embargo on the recruitment of nurses, saying the hospital had lost 38 theatre nurses and this affected the amount of surgery which could be carried out. It had also lost a number of intensive care beds. “It’s time people realised this nursing embargo is completely unsustainable,” he said.
He told Galway Bay FM he was not aware at this point that “a formal letter of resignation” had been handed in by Mr Joyce.
Meanwhile, nurses attending the INMO conference condemned the HSE for failing to ensure adequate provision was made to cater for additional patients attending regional hospitals following the reconfiguration of services in the midwest and northeast.