Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)

Some 16 months ago the Minister gave a commitment that he would do his best to defend hospital services in Navan. At the invitation of the Save Navan Hospital campaign, he addressed the 10,000 strong crowd who attended the public rally and said there would be no further cuts that would put people's health and lives in danger. Fine Gael candidates in the constituency stood on the election promise that they would ensure a new regional hospital would be built in County Meath within the lifetime of this Dáil.

The Minister is aware of the trolley count in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. It is disastrous, one of the highest in the State. Work has been carried out under his direction to ameliorate the problem to a certain extent. We appreciate this, but the figures are still stubbornly high. In the first six months of 2010, 1,664 patients were forced to wait on trolleys. In the first six months of 2011, 3,266 were forced to wait on trolleys. The INMO has stated that from January to April this year 2,422 patients were treated on trolleys in Drogheda. On each of these occasions little is offered to the patient in terms of privacy and dignity and the treatment provided is seriously sub-optimal. I am not trying to draw a direct comparison with the shocking situation in Tallaght, but this makes people cautious about allowing trolley counts to remain so high.

I bring to the attention of the House what happened in Cavan when the accident and emergency department in Monaghan was closed. The trolley count rose from 746 in the first six months of 2009 to 1,443 in 2010 and 2,745 in the six months of 2011. The increase was due to the closure of the accident and emergency department in Monaghan. In the last few weeks a document was leaked from the HSE which, in fairness to it, indicated that it reflected its current objectives. It does not hide behind the rhetoric of the previous Government in any way. The document is entitled, The Louth and Meath Hospital Group Cost Containment Draft Project Plan, and details the closure of the accident and emergency department in Navan, the reduction of three locum consultant positions, the extended closure of orthopaedic services and the reduction of surgical in-patient activity. These closures will occur despite shockingly high orthopaedic and surgical waiting times. The savings that will be achieved in the part-closure of the accident and emergency department in Navan will total €800,000, but this figure does not take into consideration the cost of treating patients in other accident and emergency departments or the cost of transport.

I appreciate that the Minister has taken a different attitude towards the health service in the Louth-Meath area and the change of direction since the term of office of the last Minister. I also recognise the work done by Fine Gael and Labour Party Deputies in County Meath in partnership with the hospital campaign in the last year. I respect that work, but crunch time is coming for the hospital. It is now or never; we must live up to the promises made and translate them into action. Will the Minister commit to maintaining services at the accident and emergency department in Navan hospital?

See this speech in context