A Kerry TD has said he’s unsurprised at the visiting restrictions imposed by University Hospital Kerry.
Earlier this week, the hospital announced restrictions including one pre-arranged visit per week to general wards, unless on compassionate grounds.
Visits to palliative care are also by appointment only.
Sinn Féin’s Pa Daly also criticised the government for failing to ensure the payment of the pandemic bonus to frontline staff.
Reacting to the high trolley figures throughout June, Deputy Pa Daly said patients sitting in wheelchairs and lying on the floor were not accounted for in those figures.
He argued that visiting restrictions present immense distress to patients and their families and that the hospital should be doing all it can to prevent overcrowding as well as ensuring proper infection control in isolation rooms.
Pa Daly hopes that the next announcement will not include the cancellation of day or elective surgeries due to the increase in Covid-19 figures.
The TD also criticised Health Minister Stephen Donnelly for failing to provide clarity on when the pandemic bonus will be paid to frontline staff.
He said workers have been let down again and that the payment has become less than a bonus and more of a buffer to pay for essentials.
He’s asked the minister to confirm when the payment will be made in Kerry and to honour that commitment.
