SF Regional Heath Forum rep claims HSE are putting Patient Safety at risk

North Monaghan Sinn Féin councillor and member of the Dublin/ North East Regional Health Forum, Brian McKenna, has said the HSE are putting at risk the lives of patients in North Monaghan following their relocation of the Rapid Response Vehicle from Monaghan to Castleblayney. Cllr. McKenna said:

“The North-East Transformation document drawn up prior to the removal of acute medical cover from Monaghan General Hospital promised an enhanced ambulance service which included a Rapid Response Vehicle with appropriately trained advanced paramedics to be based in the county town.

“Since the withdrawal of acute medical cover from the Louth Hospital in Dundalk the HSE have relocated this Rapid Response Vehicle to Castleblayney to provide cover in the North Louth areas. This is a hugely dangerous move and it is placing the lives of people in North Monaghan at serious risk. Where is the concern we hear regularly from HSE and Fianna Fáil spokespersons about patient safety and quality of care. The HSE and government parties have once again broken their commitments to the people of Monaghan.

“I will continue to highlight these failures on their part. Meanwhile, it is incumbent on all political parties to pressurise the HSE to honour its promises to the people. There is especially a responsibility on Fianna Fáil councillors and TD’s to once and for all stand up for the people of County Monaghan. They had the power to keep acute medical cover in Monaghan General Hospital and the failed to do so. They now have the power to have the Rapid Response Vehicle located in our county town but are remaining silent on the issue. It is the very least that the people of North Monaghan should expect” Cllr. McKenna concluded.

Carthy welcomes movement on Cloughvalley Housing Scheme

(Cllr. Matt Carthy and former Mayor of Carrickmacross, Rose McMahon, highlighting the boarded-up houses at Cloughvalley last year)

South Monaghan Sinn Féin Councillor, Matt Carthy, has welcomed the news that the government has finally agreed to live up to its commitment to allocate funding towards the completion of the Remedial Works Scheme at Cloughvalley, Carrickmacross. Cllr. Carthy, who has been campaigning for the funding for several years, said that it was a disgrace that houses had been left vacant for so long at a time when there were hundreds of people on the local authority housing waiting list.

Cllr. Carthy said: “I welcome the announcement that, finally, €2.8million has been allocated towards the demolition and rebuild of the OPD houses in Cloughvalley. I have been extremely angry with the fact that previous tenants were moved out of their homes only for the houses to be left vacant and boarded up for the past couple of years. The houses had become an eye-sore and a focal point for anti-social behaviour.

“The government’s social housing programme has become a charade. No funding is forthcoming for the purchase and building of new houses for the hundreds of individuals and families on local housing waiting lists. Instead money is being squandered on leasing programmes which will just create long term problems for the state and for local authorities. The fact that houses in public ownership had been left idle for so long just exemplified this failed policy.

“I am pleased that the government has finally released funding it had promised in 2004. I am now calling on everyone involved to ensure that the Remedial Works Scheme proceeds, and is completed, without any further delay”.