Woman underwent €21,000 surgery in Spain due to delays in Letterkenny

An Inishowen woman has told how she nearly died due to a lack of beds at Letterkenny University Hospital.

Mary Doherty had to borrow money to pay €21,000 to travel to Spain in order to undergo a critical surgery.

Ms Doherty spoke at a public meeting on Thursday night in Letterkenny to highlight issues facing members of the public at LUH.

“I really am so angry,” she said. “I know of people who died due to a lack of beds in the intensive care unit.

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“I nearly had a nervous breakdown as I needed that operation in Spain.

“I am still angry. I could have died. There are people who have died because a lack of beds. I was just very fortunate that someone loans me the money.”

Ms Doherty was told one evening at 6.30pm that she had a ruptured bowel and needed emergency surgery.

At 1.30am she was taken to a ward and didn’t go under the knife until 2pm the following day.

She had to undergo a colostomy reversal procedure and was informed that this could take a year.

Ms Doherty, who also contracted sepsis while at LUH, was called in in September for a pre-op procured and was ‘so relieved and happy’ at the news.

However, she was subsequently informed by a surgeon that she required a colonoscopy.

“They didn’t know when,” Ms Doherty said. “I had to go to Spain. It was the final straw.”

Ms Doherty queried why the ICU in the hospital has not been adequately upgraded.

She said: “The lack of beds doesn’t make sense in the hospital. It makes me very angry just thinking about it. The treatment I got from the nurses and the staff was amazing. You can’t take away from the staff who are working in there.”