THE RATE OF thefts from one of Dublin’s key children’s hospitals is marginally on the rise.
Figures released to TheJournal.ie by Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin under the Freedom of Information Act show that gardaí were called to the hospital regarding theft allegations on 14 occasions in the 16 months between July 2015 and November 2016, a rate of just under one incident a month
This compares to the 13 times similar incidents which were reported to gardaí in the previous 18 months.
While the nature of the alleged thefts are not known, it has been previously claimed that such incidents centred on the theft of items such as toys, games and bed buzzers.
Speaking to Today FM’s The Anton Savage Show last year, a man named Philip from Donegal (who wished to keep his second name anonymous) spoke about the number of incidents of theft at the hospital.
“This seems to be an ongoing problem in the hospital. My niece has been visiting that hospital unfortunately for the past 16 years. They’ve given her excellent care. Everybody in it, they’ve been very, very good to her,” he said.
Philip went on to say that a range of items had been taken, including the buzzers from children’s beds.
Has society sunk that far that people are stealing the buzzers from the poor sick children in the hospitals. There has to be some explanation for it. There has to be some reason for it.
Air-conditioning units, gaming consoles and children’s toys were also named as items that had been stolen from the hospital.
Crumlin runs a donation fund, known as the Giggle Fund, which it uses to make sure the hospital has “sufficient toys and games to keep the patients entertained”.
Due to infection control, the hospital cannot accept donations of second-hand or used toys and electronics.
TheJournal.ie has contacted Our Lady’s Hospital for comment with regard to the thefts in question.
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