Health board denies hospital lacks emergency service

HEALTH board officials have insisted emergency treatment will continue at Cavan General Hospital despite leaked correspondence which calls into question the hospital's ability to provide the service given a staffing crisis.

The board also denied there were plans to suspend elective surgery at the hospital, which had to turn away patients for a week last month following the suspension of two out of its three consultant surgeons over a row in which both men have made allegations about the behaviour of the other.

A letter leaked to the Irish Medical News showed the medical advisor to the North Eastern Health Board,

Finbarr Lennon, had recommended Cavan General call off all elective surgeries while the two surgeons remained barred from work.

He was quoted as saying he was unhappy with the arrangements made to cover for the two consultants as the hospital only has locum cover which, by its nature, is a temporary, short-term relief. Mr Lennon was also quoted as saying the uncertainty put at risk the hospital's ability to continue providing emergency services.

The health board yesterday refused to comment on the letter but said it was in the process of recruiting two long-term locums and that elective surgery was continuing. A spokeswoman added: "There is no threat to emergency services."

Hospital campaigners in the region, however, said the situation in Cavan was further reason not to have faith in the health board's ability to manage

essential services.

Peadar McMahon of the Monaghan Community Alliance said any problem in neighbouring Cavan was of grave concern to people in Monaghan since their local hospital, Monaghan General, was taken off-call last year and ordered to refer emergencies to Cavan.

The Bonnar Report, commissioned following the death of baby Bronagh Livingstone whose mother was turned away from Monaghan while in labour last December, recommended the hospital resume full emergency services and receive the necessary funding.

But Mr McMahon said he had been told by the health board in recent weeks there was no money to implement the Bonnar recommendations although a limited emergency service would be maintained.

Our hospital is still very much under threat no matter how they try to dress it up and now we can't rely on Cavan either," he said.

Doctors opposed to the downgrading of local hospitals will meet this weekend to begin a campaign of resistance to the Hanly Report commissioned by the Government which recommends closing up to 20 smaller accident and emergency departments around the country.

Consultants and GPs from hospitals in Wexford, Kilkenny, Galway and Tipperary will address the meeting in Kill, Co Kildare on Saturday.