My recent experience has highlighted what thousands already know: For too many people, access to emergency and ongoing care has become a matter of geography and luck rather than need. The care and professionalism of frontline staff were exemplary, but they are operating in a system stretched well beyond its capacity. Our hospitals must be fit for purpose, not merely functioning geriatric or palliative care centres by default. The nearest acute hospitals are in Cork or Tralee, making emergency access and follow-up care both difficult and delayed. We rightly invest in centres of excellence, but this must not come at the cost of basic accessibility and equity.

Source: Irish Examiner March 21, 2026 16:22 UTC