Plea to restore hospital services

MONAGHAN people demanding the full restoration of services to their local hospital brought their protest to the Taoiseach’s door yesterday.

They have begun a month-long fast and vigil outside the Department of the Taoiseach in Dublin.

Monaghan Hospital used to provide acute services and a full maternity service. Those and other critical services are no longer provided. The situation deteriorated over the summer. Ambulance personnel have been told to bypass Monaghan Hospital with all accident and emergency cases.

Most Monaghan patients are now being taken to Cavan and Drogheda Hospitals, which are already seriously overcrowded. One of six protesters who started the first of a series of fasts in 24-hour relays was Pádraigín Uí Mhurchadha from Monaghan town.

She explained that she had travelled to Dublin for the protest to underline how important the hospital was to her family. "It is part of our town and we want it completely restored to the way it was." Ms Uí Mhurchadha said there was huge public support in Co Monaghan for the retention and development of services at the hospital. "We will keep the pressure on until we get what we want a proper hospital with adequate services." Sinn Féin TD Caoimhín Ó Caoláin, said a once busy general hospital had been reduced to the status of a day healthcare centre.

He said the protest demonstrated the growing anger of people who now feared the hospital would eventually close. They were also frustrated at the failure of the Government to respond to their repeated representations.

Mr Ó Caoláin said the Minister for Health and Children, Micheál Martin, had promised he would intervene in a "doomsday" situation.

That day had arrived and the minister had remained aloof, and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern also stayed silent on the issue.

"The people of Monaghan deserve a proper hospital with adequate services. The Taoiseach and his Government must not be allowed to stand by and watch their health services dwindle," he said.