Under the national spatial strategy, the three hub towns of Mullingar, Tullamore and Athlone will see their population increase to 60,000 each. This will mean that Mullingar Hospital will eventually serve a catchment area of 300,000 people. The implementation of the proposals of the spatial strategy and the redeployment of people without the necessary basis of good and readily available medical care would be tantamount to madness, but the elimination of these facilities, which are already in place and due for expansion, would be a disaster for the area.