A SOUTHSIDE hospital has denied that chronically ill children suffering from cystic fibrosis could run an increased risk of infection because of funding cuts being imposed on the facility by the HSE.
The cutbacks mean that young CF patients at Our Lady’s Hospital For Sick Children in Crumlin are being moved at weekends from St Michael’s ward, which is dedicated to treating the deadly disease, into general wards where parents fear they are at an increased risk of infection from potential threats such as MRSA.
Cross infection is regarded as one of the leading risks to CF patients.
Samantha Cruise (17), from Lucan, who suffers from cystic fibrosis and regularly attends the CF ward at the hospital, said she was worried about the possibility of becoming infected with a superbug because of the new ward arrangements.
“Because of infection controls, we don’t know what has been around on that ward and we don’t know what precautions they take on that ward for CF patients,” she said.
Of the 1,100 people suffering from cystic fibrosis in the country, almost 60 per cent are under 18.
Another CF sufferer, Sophie Walsh, aged just nine, also recently attended Crumlin Children’s Hospital as an in-patient and was advised by a nurse to take a bed in a general ward.
Her father, Barry Walsh, said he demanded to discuss the issue with management and subsequently voiced his concerns at a meeting with the hospital officials.