1000 protest Monaghan hospital cutbacks

Over a thousand people have protested outside the Department of Health in Dublin this afternoon at the withdrawal of acute services from Monaghan General Hospital.

The county's community alliance claims that Minister Micheál Martin is breaking his promises to keep the hospital open.

Alliance spokesperson, Joe Heron, says patients in need now have to go elsewhere for treatment: "In some cases they'll be brought to Cavan, as has happened, be told that there's no beds there and then be ferried over to Drogheda."

"That's a colossal journey for someone who is in pain, for someone who may be in danger of losing their life. We talk about the golden half-hour in terms of medicine. That's gone out the window here."