Ireland's Eye - A round up of top Irish news stories

A look at news from around Ireland

12-Year Doctor Wait
A 90-YEAR-old Ennis man has described as “insulting” a letter he received from the Health Service Executive (HSE) asking if he still needs treatment -- 12 years after he was first referred by his doctor.
Kevin Stapleton from College Green had been suffering with his instep when he was referred by his doctor to the Regional Orthopedic Hospital in Croom back in December 2000.

He never got an appointment, but last week he received a letter asking him to confirm if he still needs treatment. The HSE gave him two weeks to respond.

“That letter is a joke. After 12 years I think it’s insulting to get this,” Stapleton said.

“I was suffering with a lump in my instep. I couldn’t get my shoe on, it was awful painful. I was three or four years with it, it was like a little bone sticking up.

“Believe it or not, it’s gone away now. It went away on its own, thankfully. But, of course, I was worried about it.  I still don’t know what caused it.

“I had my medical card and they’re always at the back of the queue but to get a letter in 2012, almost 2013, doesn’t make sense.  They were saying there were long waiting lists but I didn’t think it would be that long.”

A spokesperson for the HSE responded saying, “We apologize for any upset caused and are very happy to hear that Mr. Stapleton’s complaint has gone away. Every acute hospital in the country is engaged in the mammoth task of validating its outpatient waiting lists as part of a national program to improve services to the public. This initiative is underway across the nation for all specialties.

“This means that waiting lists with many hundreds of thousands of names on them have to be checked to eliminate inaccuracies and to establish the facts.”

Clare Champion

Tragic Bus Death
A DIPLOMAT'S son killed under a double decker bus in Dublin died following a dispute over loose change, his family believes.

Eoghan Dudley, whose mother is a senior official at the Department of Foreign Affairs, suffered a horrific death in front of dozens of horrified rush hour commuters in the city center last Thursday.

A 29-year-old man was charged with manslaughter. Edward Connors, who is deaf and mute, was charged due to an altercation that took place before Dudley fell under the bus at the junction of Dawson Street and Nassau Street.

The victim's family says that he was not drinking or taking drugs.  Dudley’s mother is based at an Irish Embassy abroad.

His father Seamus, from Rathfarnham in south Dublin, said his son "had his problems, but he was still human."

It took Gardai considerable time to identify Dudley as he was not carrying any ID when he suffered catastrophic head injuries. Officers eventually released details of his tattoos.
Seamus Dudley said he believes that an altercation occurred when his son had been asked for money as he was walking up the street.

​
Nster.com