Other hospitals to take on burden as Monaghan loses acute services

ROUND-the-clock emergency care will cease at Monaghan General Hospital (MGH) on July 22 and patients with an acute illness or in need of acute surgery will have to travel elsewhere.

Yesterday, the Health Service Executive (HSE) announced that all acute medical services will be transferred from Monaghan Hospital to Cavan General Hospital on July 22. This means acute medical patients – such as patients with chronic respiratory illness or acute cardiac failure – will no longer be treated at MGH. Surgery at MGH will be limited to day surgery only.

The hospital will retain outpatient services and a number of diagnostic services, as well as dentistry, ear, nose and throat services. However the withdrawal of all on-call acute services will effectively turn MGH into a day hospital, albeit with 13 step-down and 13 rehabilitation beds which will accommodate patients from Cavan General.