Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the debate we are having this morning on tier 2 hospitals. I thank the Independent Group for bringing it forward. The issue I will raise the future of Navan hospital and what the reconfiguration means for it. I thank the staff at Our Lady's Hospital, Navan, and all hospital staff throughout the State who work tirelessly for the people.

It is absolutely incredible how shabbily my constituents in Meath West, doctors, nurses and other staff and patients of Navan hospital have been treated by the Government. As we debate the motion this morning, Navan hospital is under continuing threat of losing its emergency department and ICU. Delays in emergency departments and waiting lists for beds will not improve if we close emergency departments in hospitals such as that in Navan. As recently as April, in reply to a parliamentary question the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, said no decision regarding the HSE proposal for the transition of the emergency department at Navan had been agreed by him or the Government. I am glad our hospital and its services remain open but the uncertainty that hangs over Navan hospital is unsustainable and completely unacceptable.

I am sick and tired of having this argument with the Government every few months. Who in their right mind in 2023, with a massive capacity crisis in our health service, would consider shutting down emergency services? If the Government is saying that current facilities in Navan are unsafe then it is very simple. Make them safe with investment and resources. Tier 2 hospitals have to be part of the solution of addressing our hospital capacity crisis. The motion calls for an extension of operating hours of medical assessment units and local injury units to a 24-7 service from the current general service provision of 12 hours a day five days a week to provide an alternative to emergency departments available at all times. This would be and should be supported by us all. We need additional resources and not the cutting of existing services.

Meath has a population of more than 220,000 people. It is time to get real. The people of Navan and Meath have fought for years to keep services at Our Lady's Hospital, Navan. We are not going away and neither is our hospital. We need investment to take pressure off other bigger hospitals, such as those in Blanchardstown and Drogheda. We need to protect and enhance services in Navan, put the necessary resources into it and have no more downgrading of services in Navan.

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