Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

I seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 32 to discuss a matter of local and national importance, namely, that the HSE north east is insisting on removing and continuing with its plans to remove on-call service from — in other words, close — Monaghan General Hospital by November 2008 at the latest despite the public commitment by the Government and the HSE not to remove any service until as good a service or better is available. I wish also to discuss the fact that HSE staff are instructing ambulance services to bring patients to other hospitals to lie on trolleys rather than allow them into the safe and good care of the consultants and staff of Monaghan General Hospital. The Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, has made it clear that there is not a red cent to build a hospital in the region. He recently advised that the only alternative was to retain the five hospitals. Is life in Monaghan less important to this Administration than anywhere else on this island?

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