Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It does.

We did not get the meeting with the Minister that we were supposed to get. It was promised by the Minister of State sitting behind him the last time we raised this issue. While we welcome the temporary reprieve for the accident and emergency department and ICU in Navan hospital that the Minister announced today, we still need more clarity. I understand what the Minister said about being in consultation with the HSE but what is the long-term sustainable plan? The accident and emergency service and ICU capacity is critical to the future of the hospital. To downgrade or close these services would be to rip the heart from the hospital and would endanger patient care. Meath has a population of 210,000 and is the fifth largest county in the State. Neighbouring hospitals, namely, Drogheda and Connolly hospitals, are at full capacity. We need a clear and unequivocal commitment from the Minister to maintain and put the necessary resources into Navan hospital and build on the excellent services provided by it.

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