Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am very concerned about the media reports that appeared last weekend about the status of the emergency departments in nine hospitals, including Cavan General Hospital. The huge number of people attending the hospital in Cavan every week clearly indicates the need for its emergency department to retain all services. Only last May, in parliamentary questions, I raised the need to provide new accommodation and additional facilities at the Cavan emergency department, given the large number of patients attending. Subsequently, the HSE replied to me and stated that Cavan and Monaghan hospital group is currently preparing a proposal regarding the expansion of adult and paediatric resuscitation space for the emergency department in Cavan General Hospital.

Indeed, I had a Topical Issue debate on this subject with the then Minister, Senator James Reilly, in the middle of 2014. At that time, the Minister indicated to me that the figures available to him indicated there had been a 33% increase in the number of patients presenting in Cavan General Hospital. I know from my own contact with clinicians and other staff in the hospital that the number of people presenting has dramatically increased since then, as Deputy Ó Caoláin and other Oireachtas colleagues will know.

I want the Minister of State to give us a firm assurance that there will be no change to the status of the emergency department at Cavan General Hospital. The hospital has a catchment area of 136,000 people. Thankfully, the population of counties Cavan and Monaghan is growing, as recorded in this morning's census figures. As the hospital also covers part of north Longford, south Leitrim and south Meath, this means there is a total population of close to 150,000 in its area. Thankfully, in the period 2001 to 2011 there was major investment, with the provision of new and additional facilities at Cavan General Hospital, including a special care baby unit, additional bed capacity of more than 21 beds, an MRI unit, a CT scanner, other diagnostic facilities, major expansion of the renal dialysis unit and an upgrade to a very high standard of the intensive care unit. With all the additional activity at the hospital, it needs to retain its emergency department and it also needs additional services and accommodation.

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