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Minor Injury Unit expecting large influx of patients this weekend

Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar’s Minor Injury Unit located in the Charter Medical Private Hospital, Ballinderry, is expecting to see large numbers attend the facility this weekend as pressure continues to grow in Accident and Emergency Departments across the country.

Minor Injury units deal with minor to moderate injuries including broken bones, cuts, scalds, and burns. There is also a far shorter wait time to be seen in an MIU compared to an A&E Department.

According to Kay Slevin, Hospital Manager of Regional Hospital Mullingar, “We’re very fortunate to have an MIU in Mullingar. It is really important that the public know that the service is available so they can avoid unnecessary long wait time in an Emergency Department. There has been very positive feedback received from patients who have attended the MIU and patients are being seen and assessed in less than 2 hours”

The HSE, DoH and Minister for Health have all been encouraging the public to examine their options before attending an A&E Department. This includes going to your GP, pharmacy or MIU in the first instance.

People from Mullingar and surrounding areas from the age of 16 and over are able to attend the unit 7 days a week:

Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 6:00pm

Saturday and Sunday 10:00am to 6:00pm.

Closed on Bank Holidays

Other benefits of the MIU include:

Patients will be charged a fee of €75, which is less than the €100.00 fee charged to attend an Emergency Department. There is no charge for patients who have Medical Card or who have a referral letter from either their General Practice.

The average time to be seen and discharged in an Injury Unit is under two hours.

Patients who experience a minor injury and who should attend an Injury Unit are as follows:

Suspected broken bones to arm (from collar bone to fingertip)

Suspected broken bones in legs (from knees to toes)

Sprains and strains

Wounds, bites (animal or insect) cuts, grazes and scalp laceration

Minor burns and scalds

Foreign bodies

Minor chest injuries

The Minor Injury Unit in Regional Hospital Mullingar also provides full imaging and x-ray facilities in order for patients to be fully diagnosed and treated onsite.