“Monaghan Patients Denied Access to Recuperation in Monaghan Hospital!” - McKenna

The Sinn Féin member on the Regional Health Forum, Brian McKenna, has described as “scandalous” the confirmation from the HSE this week that Monaghan patients who have procedures carried out in any hospital other than Cavan General cannot and will not be repatriated to recuperate and recover in Monaghan. This is despite the fact that 26 non-acute beds had been set aside in the hospital under the North-East Transformation Programme.

The North Monaghan councillor was speaking after making representation to the HSE on behalf of two Monaghan patients, one from Cavan Hospital and the other from Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda, to be repatriated to Monaghan hospital to recuperate following recent procedures.

Speaking this week an angry Cllr McKenna said: “This, in my opinion, represents yet another u-turn on the part of the HSE in relation to what they promised the people of this county under the North-East Transformation Programme. We were told that the 50 acute beds in Monaghan General Hospital would be reduced to 26 non-acute, 13 of which would be for rehabilitation and 13 a mixture of step-down/ respite/ convalescent beds. The HSE are now saying these beds are only for patients who are referred back from a stay in Cavan Hospital and if a patient is returning from Drogheda or a Dublin Hospital then they must go home or possibly to a nursing home if one can be found with a free bed.

“This is outrageous and a breach of trust and faith by the HSE with the people of this county. I would encourage families to refuse to accept family members from Drogheda or Dublin hospitals who return within days of operations and have no facilities or family members to look after them. This is an issue I intend to raise at the next meeting of the Regional Health Forum”.

Cllr. McKenna also called on local Fianna Fáil representatives to “once and for all get of the sidelines” on the issue of Monaghan General Hospital. The fact is that this government can intervene to not only resolve this issue but indeed ensure that all services previously removed can be restored to our hospital. Unfortunately the local Fianna Fáil councillors and TD’s have shown little appetite to stand up to their own party on this issue.

“It is also ironic that this news has been revealed just a little over a week since the Fine Gael members joined Fianna Fáil in ensuring that visiting Ministers to our county can now waltz in without being confronted on this issue by elected representatives in an official capacity.”