Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this issue. There is a need for the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste to take a similar interest in the position regarding Monaghan General Hospital as they are prepared to take in regard to Ennis General Hospital. The Taoiseach has pledged to personally intervene in the upgrading of services in that hospital. The provision of an improved casualty unit, a high-care unit with a reasonable level of surgery, is the minimum we want in Monaghan General Hospital. That is what was promised but at this point everything is uncertain and that is extremely worrying. The casualty unit was to open in February but as yet the funding — out of a national fund of more than €11 billion — has not been provided to staff this unit.

There are five consultant surgeons in Cavan General Hospital and one in Monaghan General Hospital. The plan of the Health Service Executive is to place the three new surgeons in the Cavan-Monaghan hospital group. It is clear every effort is being made, even by devious means, to persuade or encourage the one surgeon in Monaghan General Hospital to either move from Monaghan General Hospital or base himself in Cavan General Hospital.

I welcome the information I received today that the junior surgeons will be allowed stay in Monaghan General Hospital for another six months. However, that is no way to run a business not to mention a hospital structure, lurching from month to month with no long-term commitment. Staff times are being changed so that surgery has to close at 5 p.m. Often that means the operating theatre is closed at 4 p.m. to ensure deadlines are adhered to. Valuable theatre and other services are only partially used at a time when the Government is funding, ad lib, the national treatment purchase fund that could easily and safely be used to carry out procedures at Monaghan General Hospital. I remind the Minister of State that only a few years ago patients were brought under contract to that theatre in Monaghan General Hospital from Northern Ireland and now it is half closed.

Lack of services in Monaghan General Hospital is forcing patients into Cavan General Hospital where the accident and emergency department is overflowing. There is a lack of management of resources at both sites. Clearly, there is a need to ensure full and proper use by the Health Service Executive of facilities at theatre and bed level. The information available to me leads me to question who is in charge.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children cannot wash her hands of this ongoing problem with the Cavan-Monaghan hospital group. Tonight I am dealing with Monaghan General Hospital but one cannot ignore the fact that it is supposed to be a joint group.

On 29 September 2004 the then Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, promised that a 24-hour seven-day large emergency room would be operational from the end of February, ten additional beds would be coming on stream immediately at Monaghan General Hospital, and a CAT scan would be provided at Monaghan General Hospital. We want no more promises. We do not expect what was promised at the election but we need acute emergency services to be retained at Monaghan General Hospital. We must be able to have accident cases stabilised.

We do not want another case such as that highlighted at an inquest in Dundalk this week where the consultant, Dr. Lynch, said that if the patient had been dealt with in Monaghan General Hospital the patient might have had a chance of survival but none at all after the journey. The coroner in Dundalk was angry and said he could not place blame. He could not believe the services were not available in Monaghan General Hospital. Only if worthwhile surgery remains in Monaghan General Hospital can the overall unit be retained as an emergency unit. If it is not retained it raises major questions so far as industry, sport and so on is concerned in that area. In the absence of the Tánaiste, I beg the Minister of State to ensure that when the funding is distributed in the next few days that proper recognition is given to the Border region and that we are no longer ignored.

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