Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this important issue, along with my constituency colleague, Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin.

Monaghan General Hospital must be allowed remain on call and retain its accident and emergency and high care units. According to senior personnel in the HSE, it is under order to wind down the service at Monaghan General Hospital as quickly as possible and specifically to take the hospital off call, leaving only a day service available in the accident and emergency area. This is to be done in spite of the fact there is clearly no alternative available either now or in the foreseeable future. A similar order was in place for Roscommon County Hospital, but this has now been removed by the Minister, allowing the HSE to retain the services there. I beg the Minister to do the same in Monaghan and I urge my constituency colleagues in the Government party to ensure this happens. The HSE recently gave my council and town council colleagues the same message, which is that they are only doing what they are under order to do by the Government.

In the past ten days I have come across two cases of people who were sent home from Cavan General Hospital. One man, who was 90 years of age, was sent home by ambulance at 1.30 a.m. The other was a lady who was sent home and passed away a few hours later. It is absolutely clear that Cavan General Hospital is not in a position to cope with its own patients, never mind the additional load from Monaghan.

We have an excellent cardiac unit with an extremely strong independent report to state its records of success are at the highest level. Our accident and emergency unit, named by the HSE as a treatment room, is of the highest calibre and we have the most modern bed units. Nothing can justify the Minister's orders to wind down such a unit. The people of Monaghan need this service more than ever. Existing industries and potential new industries depend on such a hospital service.

There is no doubt the actions of the Minister and this Government are nothing short of an introduction of euthanasia through the backdoor. Home help and home care are not available, subvention for nursing homes has never been sorted out and now patients are being pushed by the Minister into areas where there is no service to cope.

I realise the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, has never felt the need in her heart to visit either Cavan General Hospital or Monaghan General Hospital, but if lives are to be saved she must either change the order that she and her Government have given to wind down our Monaghan General Hospital or take the only honourable alternative and step down from her position.

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