Hospital with vital blood service faces downgrade

A TIPPERARY hospital which the Health Service Executive plans to downgrade is providing a vital service to Limerick patients with a life threatening blood disorder.

Nenagh General Hospital is relieving the pressure on the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick by treating patients with a condition known as haemochromatosis, who cannot be accommodated in the larger hospital.

The Mid-Western Regional Hospital can no longer cope with new patients diagnosed with the condition and many now travel to Nenagh for venesection — where a vein is opened to remove blood as a therapeutic treatment.