Patients hide in bushes to evade smoking ban

Patients dressed in pyjamas at a smoke-free hospital campus are hiding behind trees and bushes to smoke, chairman of the HSE West Forum has said.

Cllr Padraig Conneely yesterday called for the HSE to relax its smoke-free campus designation for the 150-acre site at Merlin Park Hospital in Galway.

“I have seen patients in their pyjamas and slippers hide behind bushes and trees smoking because of the HSE putting in place a ban on smoking across the campus.