A Kerry councillor has suggested a new road be built into University Hospital Kerry to help people avoid traffic when trying to access the Emergency Department.
Sinn Féin councillor Robert Brosnan made the suggestion at the recent council meeting.
He said the road going towards the new Gaelcholáiste building could easily include a turn into the hospital, and if it saved one life it would be worth doing.
Cllr Brosnan said access, especially quick access, to the Emergency Department is of paramount importance.
He said ambulances are having to constantly battle congestion travelling past Austin Stack Park, past the Horans Centre up towards Rathass.
The Sinn Féin councillor added not everyone attending the ED is lucky enough to be in an ambulance with a paramedic beside them, and a new access road would help these people too.
He said there is a road already there, constructed for the new Gaelcholáiste school, which could access the southwestern side of the hospital.
Cllr Brosnan added if it saves one life, it will have paid for itself a hundred times over.
He called on the council to carry out a feasibility study for a new access road at that spot, and write to the board of UHK and the HSE about it.
In response, the council said the development of access to the hospital is a matter for the HSE, and it would be glad to engage with the HSE if they want to propose this access.
The motion was seconded by fellow Sinn Féin councillor Deirdre Ferris, so the council will bring it to the attention of the HSE.
