South West TD Seán Crowe has described the resignation of Dr Marcus De Brun, a member of the Irish Medical Council, due to the governments mishandling of the Covid-19 crisis in nursing homes as
“reflecting badly on the Government” and has said that the issues Dr De Brun refers to in his resignation letter require immediate attention Dr De Brun has said that the government had failed in its obligations to his patients quoting the failure of patients in one nursing to get tested up until 6th April and the people of Ireland over the course of the COVID 19 crisis.
His resignation came on the day when Ireland experienced 77 deaths from the virus, the highest amount in a single day. The Irish Medical Council member said that many of the 52 residents he cares for in North Dublin Nursing home have died in the last 10 days.
Deputy Seán Crowe said “I am hugely concerned at the news that Dr Marcus De Brun, a member of the Irish Medical Council, has submitted his resignation to the Minister for Health Simon Harris, citing his belief that the Department of Health have failed to adequately address the Covid-19 crisis in nursing homes and other residential care settings.
“In early March, Nursing Homes Ireland introduced visitor restrictions for nursing homes, but were criticised publicly by the Department of Health for moving too fast “It took a further ten days for the Department of Health to give their reluctant approval for such measures, and, in Sinn Féin’s view, this
decision has proved to be a monumental and fatal error for many of our most vulnerable citizens.
“There is still no acknowledgement that this decision was the wrong one and Minister Harris and his Department need to acknowledge this delay cost lives. “Nursing Homes Ireland has said that they made numerous requests to the Minister for Health and his officials for a meeting in the early days of
this crisis, but this didn’t happen until the end of March, weeks later and well into the crisis.
“This is also the point raised specifically in Dr De Brun’s resignation letter sent to the Minister, and has been brushed aside up to now. His resignation came on the day when Ireland experienced 77 deaths, its highest amount from the virus. Sadly, a large proportion of those who died came from a nursing home setting.
“Dr De Brun has said that many of the 52 residents he cares for in a North Dublin Nursing home have died in the last 10 days. His resignation letter, along with the events and the concerns he raises, needs to be investigated and responded to immediately “The most pressing priority however has to be to do all we can to ensure those in residential care settings are protected and cared for. That means fast tacking the implementation of staff redeployment, increased testing for COVID-19 in homes, as well as improving PPE access without any further delay. This resignation over nursing home inaction reflects poorly on this caretaker government’s handling of this crisis.”
