Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

Obviously, anybody who is critically ill may be brought to a hospital with an accident and emergency unit that is on call for emergencies. Clearly for all patients, the sooner they are brought to the most appropriate place for treatment the better. The sooner a patient can get to the place that can deal with his or her difficulty, the better the outcome. If a patient is brought to a hospital that is not able to provide the kind of service required, the delay in taking him or her to the more appropriate setting, in this case Cavan or Drogheda, could cause serious difficulties for him or her.

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