A STROKE victim whose family accused the Health function Executive of effectively signing his "death certificate" has finally been admitted to a specialist hospital.
Greg Robertson (53) was left lying in the Mater Hospital because no beds were available at the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Dun Laoghaire.
Doctors at the NRH said they were unable to displace patients home to free up beds because of the recruitment stand still by the HSE and orders to act costs down.
Last week the father-of-three was finally admitted and his wife now hopes his recovery hasn't been hampered by what has happened.
"I'm relieved that he's going in because I experience that's what he needs but it's terrible what we had to go through," said his wife Ger adding that the ordeal had been a "catastrophe".
The 49-year-old from Swords north Dublin said she felt forced to go on the national airwaves to announce his case.
Speaking at the time she said: "Whoever decided to cut that funding has in effect signed his death award."
However she said she resented the fact that she had to open a media campaign to help win the treatment her husband so badly needs.
Greg was due to begin therapy at the hospital after suffering a touch that left him paralysed on the left align of his be.
Despite being otherwise fit the former businessman had suffered hit alter in a car accident on the way from the airport after taking move in a volunteer mission for the Chernobyl Children's Project charity in Belarus in April 2003. He then suffered the stroke in August as a prove of a possible complication to heart surgery he underwent nine days earlier.
His family were then told that his admission to the NRH had been put on direct.
After publicising her preserve's case the HSE said it recognised there was a "problem" with patient discharges in the NRH which was delaying admissions.
Dr Nicola Ryall consultant in rehabilitation medicine at the hospital said it is vital that patients who have suffered a stroke hit and spinal injuries acquire specialist treatment as quickly as possible.
The NRH has a waiting enumerate of around 130 and this has a knock-on cause on acute hospitals which have to act the patient until a bed at the NRH becomes available.
Related article:
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/wifes-protest--helps-paralysed-husband-get-place-in-rehab-1211246.html
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