98c drinks promotion swamps hospital

THE HSE has called for a ban on cheap alcohol promotions after 26 people presented to an emergency department in one night with drink-related conditions.

It is understood that many of the 26 patients who presented at Letterkenny General Hospital in Donegal had earlier availed of 98c drinks at a local nightspot.

John Hayes, Donegal HSE area manager, said the executive was “increasingly concerned” about the low-cost selling of alcohol.

“With this most recent experience in the general hospital, I truly worry that the situation will escalate unless action is taken to stop promotions that fuel our binge drinking culture.”

The hospital’s general manager, Sean Murphy, said the surge of alcohol-related admissions affected waiting times for other patients.

“It is unfortunate that on Wednesday night, staff in the unit had to cope with a large surge in demand for services on top of the usual workload, largely attributed to these 26 alcohol-related presentations that were effectively avoidable.

“This extra demand had a direct impact on the waiting times for other patients in the department. Thankfully, we were able to assess and treat all those who presented with positive outcomes. I would call, however, on the key stakeholders in our community to act now to prevent potentially more serious harm next time.”

Sergeant Mick Foy at Letterkenny Garda Station said the incident was reported to them. “We are going to monitor the sale of cheap drink in Letterkenny.”

Meanwhile, the North West Alcohol Forum welcomed the HSE’s decision to highlight the “impact of low-cost selling in Letterkenny”.

The group’s director, Eamon O’Kane, said: “I recently presented to Letterkenny Town Council on the need for strategic management of the night-time economy. The experience of frontline staff in the emergency department further evidences this need. The forum remains committed to working with all local stakeholders to address this issue.”

Meanwhile, Mr Hayes urged all interested parties to work together to avoid a repeat of the incident.

“There are many people and agencies with a vested interest in achieving a balanced role for alcohol in our society,” he said.

“I would ask them to engage with the North West Alcohol Forum and the HSE in a concerted action to review what is currently happening and to implement steps that will ensure no repetition of last Wednesday night. This is a major social challenge and I hope that others will join with us to address it.”