Second man dies after A&E unit shut

A HEART attack victim who fell ill just minutes away from his local hospital, died after being taken to another hospital 37 miles away.

His local hospital, Monaghan General Hospital, was unable to treat him because its accident and emergency service was off-call due to cutbacks in services. This is the second time a man has died in such circumstances in the past seven weeks.

The Health Services Action Group has warned that more such deaths are likely to occur if the Hanly Report, which will strip smaller hospitals of their services, is implemented.