A PACKAGE of sustainable financial and non-financial incentives for health workers practising in remote rural areas needs to be introduced to tackle the GP shortage, according to a local doctor. Professor Liam Glynn, who has been a rural GP in Ballyvaughan for 23 years, made the call ahead of a major medical conference in University of Limerick. Global health leaders including Dr Michael Ryan, Executive director WHO Health Emergencies Programme, will attend the WONCA World Rural Health conference in UL from June 17 to 20. The need for more family doctors is acutely felt in Clare amid confirmation the HSE received no applications for Dr Michael Harty’s medical card patients panel, despite advertisements on three occasions prior to his retirement at the beginning of March. Councillor Cillian Murphy was informed at a recent HSE West Forum meeting that two applicants expressed an interest in taking on this panel following a fourth advertisement since Dr Harty’s retirement. Since February 21 2022, …

FOUR young Clare people were waiting between nine and 12 months for an appointment with the Child And Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), new figures have revealed. These figures were released to Councillor Mary Howard following a question tabled at a recent HSE West Forum meeting. Councillor Howard said it is worrying that the four children are waiting between nine and 12 months for a CAMHS appointment. She inquired what is the knock-on impact of being on a waiting list for CAMHS due to the lack of staff. Last April, 45 young people in Clare were awaiting a CAMHS appointment. From this total, 19 were waiting up to three months, 12 from three to six months, 10 from six to nine months and four from nine to twelve months. Maria Bridgeman, Chief Officer, HSE Mid West Community Healthcare, said it is always their intention to provide children with the best possible service they can provide. While someone may be on …

AN Ardnacrusha product design student’s prize-winning artwork has been described as ‘a short story in visual imagery’. Dan Killackey, 18, from Ardnacrusha, was chosen overall winner of the 68th Texaco Children’s Art Competition, taking first prize in the senior 16-18 years age category. “I was delighted to win a national award,” Dan told the Champion, “Since 2019, I have known about this competition. I wish I had known sooner because I could have competed since I was six years old. I think it would be good to promote this art competition more in schools. “When I complete a sketch and see people’s satisfaction, it motivates me to continue doing art and get people smiling.” Clare also had the winner in the seven to eight years category, which went to Aidan Hehir, 7, a pupil at Ennis Art School. Dan’s winning work, for which he receives a prize of €1,500, is entitled ‘Isolation’ and is a detailed portrait study in coloured …

AN elderly patient suffering from dementia went missing following admittance to University Hospital Limerick amid claims “Groundhog Day” had arrived for staff and patients with 118 people left on trolleys earlier this week. Limerick Deputy Maurice Quinlivan has revealed on Monday he was contacted by the family of an elderly patient who suffers from dementia. “This elderly woman who had been admitted to the hospital the night before was discovered to be missing on Monday morning. Thankfully she was found by the Gardaí two hours after she had left the hospital. “The family advised that while security could stop them from entering the hospital, nobody noticed this woman exiting her ward, the hospital building or the hospital grounds. “I have subsequently been contacted by other families who have highlighted similar stories about their loved ones. Frontline staff at the hospital can only do so much but they are burned out and lacking bed capacity,” he said. The UL Hospitals’ Group …

A local environment lobby group has accused Galway county councillors of showing a “blatant disregard to their legal obligations” after their call to halt the decommissioning of the controversial Derrybrien Wind Farm. The ESB has confirmed it will begin work on dismantling the 70 wind turbines in accordance with planning laws and regulations after An Bord Pleanála refused its application for substitute consent for the development. The application for retrospective permission was made after the EU’s Court of Justice found Ireland was in breach of environmental standards in relation to the works carried out at the site. Galway County Councillors recently supported a motion calling on the government to direct the ESB to recommence operation of the Derrybrien wind farm and in doing so provide whatever legislative requirements that are necessary to ensure it may not be legally contested. EU fines amounting to a lump sum of €5 million and a daily fine of €15,000 plus legal costs were imposed …

A Transition Year (TY) student has scooped work experience with Irish celebrity chef television personality Neven Maguire after winning the Shannon Region Junior Chef of the Year 2022 competition. One student finalist was selected from four schools across the region to represent their school in a two-hour live culinary grand final in the Limerick Strand Hotel kitchen. Gráinne Scullane, a TY student from St Anne’s Community College, Killaloe was the overall competition winner and received the first place gold medal. She won a €250 Good Food Ireland voucher that can be spent in hotels around Ireland, a one4all voucher, a fresh fruit and vegetable voucher and a signed copy of Nevin Maguire’s latest cookbook. After sending a thank you message to Mr Maguire, Gráinne was taken aback when he replied, offering her a golden opportunity to work with him in his internationally renowned restaurant in Cavan for a few days. In an interview with The Clare Champion, Gráinne recalled her …

THE number of confirmed Covid-19 PCR cases in Clare is edging closer to 40,000, new figures have revealed. In total, there were 39,500 confirmed PCR cases in the Banner County on Wednesday, May 25, following 20 new diagnoses the day before. Allowing for people who have caught the virus twice, this means around one in three people in Clare have had Covid. There were 247 PCR cases in the Banner county over the last two weeks and the 14-day incidence in the county per 100,000 is 207.9% These latest figures only include PCR confirmed cases of Covid-19 and don’t include those who register online with a positive antigen test. Four out of the five electoral areas had a 14-day incidence rate that was higher than the national average of 209.60% from May 3 to May 16. There were 65 cases in the Kilrush Electoral Area, which translated into an LEA rate of 309. The number of confirmed PCR cases was …

OVERWORKED medical scientists operating in Mid-West acute public hospitals are very close to burnout due to chronic staff shortages, poor pay and working conditions, according to one individual involved in a national dispute. Medical Scientists suspended their second day of industrial action planned for last Wednesday after accepting an invitation to attend the Labour Court for exploratory talks on the dispute. There are 150 medical scientists working in the UL Hospitals Group including nine in Ennis Hospital, one is on maternity leave and two are part-time. The Medical Laboratory Scientists Association (MLSA) has instructed its members to suspend further industrial action and resume work on Wednesday after participating in two days of strike action on Wednesday, May 18, and Tuesday, May 19. However, the Labour Court will have to resolve a lot of long-standing issues quickly to prevent medical scientists returning to the picket line. Medical scientists complete a wide range of work processing and analysing blood and urine samples, …