Patients in north-east in dire need of new hospital, doctors say

PATIENTS in the north-east are in dire need of a new, centrally located hospital, but instead services have been downgraded and there have been multiple patient deaths, doctors said yesterday at the Irish Medical Organisation’s AGM in Kerry.

Condemning the “continuing haphazard restructuring of the region’s hospital services and the consequent negative effect on patient health outcomes”, GPs from the north-east called for a new tertiary referral hospital on a greenfield site to compliment existing services.

They said there had been multiple patient deaths in the north-east because of the withdrawal of services. Most recently, the Health Service Executive (HSE) placed restrictions on the type of surgery which can now take place at Navan hospital. All upper gastrointestinal surgery must now be referred elsewhere.

Monaghan General Hospital also had services scaled back. This was having the knock-on effect of placing too heavy a burden on hospitals in Cavan and Dundalk, doctors said.

Dr Sean Tierney proposed that in view of the tragic events in the north-east - most recently the death of a pensioner from a bleeding ulcer when beds were available in other hospitals which could have treated him - that no services be withdrawn until an improved service was in place.

Dr Martin Daly added that the HSE needed to draw up protocols to prevent the downgrading of services.

However Dr Cillian Twomey, a member of the group who drew up the Hanly report on health reform, said the report stated that there would be no downgrading of services without a better service being in place.

A motion calling for a new hospital in the north-east was carried at the AGM.

Separately, it emerged that a new private hospital is on the cards for Cork.

In keeping with Government proposals to co-locate public and private hospitals, it will be located on the campus of Cork University Hospital (CUH).

Prof John Higgins, consultant obstetrician and head of the hospital’s department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, said there was strong support for the proposal among consultants at CUH.

The new hospital will compliment existing facilities in the public hospital.

The project is expected to go to tender shortly.