Monaghan A&E to reopen for emergencies

A HOSPITAL which could not accept patients arriving in ambulances for more than two years will resume admitting emergency cases today, but will not admit children.

The A&E service at Monaghan General Hospital has been off-call because of health sector cutbacks since July 2002. Yesterday, the Health Service Executive (HSE) announced it would go back on 24-hour call for adult medical emergencies, but not surgical ones, from 12 noon today. This means adults requiring immediate surgery, children requiring any kind of emergency treatment, or urgent maternity cases will have to travel to Cavan or Drogheda, as is currently the case.

There was immediate criticism of the HSE for not going further and restoring other services at the hospital. It was an “important but insufficient step”, said local TD and Sinn Féin health spokesman, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin.