Roscommon A&E closure led to 200km round trip for elderly patient

The daughters of John Bligh have told how the journey left their father frail and them fearing the worst.

MAYO GENERAL HOSPITAL was unable to access to the medical records of an elderly man who was forced to endure a 200 kilometre round-trip from his normal facility at Roscommon General Hospital where the accident and emergency had closed just hours earlier.

The Irish Daily Mail reports the case of John Bligh, 83, who was the first patient to bypass the A&E unit at Roscommon after it closed on Monday morning. He was transferred to Mayo General in Castlebar for vital treatment for his heart condition but when the hospital was unable to access his records he was brought back to Roscommon hours later.

The paper says Bligh’s two daughters “feared the worst” for their frail father during a long and bumpy 90-minute trip to Castlebar and added that the two journeys had had a huge effect on their father.

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More

Roscommon A&amp;E closure led to 200km round trip for elderly patient

Read more from Jenny Friel and Yvonne Tarleton in today’s Irish Daily Mail >

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Roscommon A&E closure led to 200km round trip for elderly patient