Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful to the Senator. I must attend an engagement so I owe her a favour. I also thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for his stewardship of the Seanad this week and for allowing me to speak twice during the Adjournment debate. I appreciate his efforts.

In County Meath there are significant issues that need a response from the Government this evening or this week. My issue relates to the future provision of services at Our Lady's Hospital, Navan. The matter is urgent, particularly in light of the recent proposal to group hospitals. The Navan hospital is now part of the miscellaneous group that includes hospitals as far away as Wexford and Kilkenny.

Yesterday the report entitled Securing the Future of Smaller Hospitals: A Framework for Development was published. What services will be provided in Navan in the future? Paragraph 3.2, overview of services at a Model 2 hospital, clearly states: "The hospital will have a daytime Urgent Care Centre comprising a Medical Assessment Unit and Local Injuries Unit which will be open where feasible 7 days a week." With regard to an intensive care at Navan hospital, paragraph 3.3, medical and critical care services for a model 2 hospital, states: "This hospital will not have an ICU."

I am also concerned about the provision of orthopaedic services. The Navan hospital has been grouped with a number of hospitals, including Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital. Does that mean that services will be moved out of Navan hospital? I am aware of one Meath person who is due to undergo an operation this week at the orthopaedic unit of the Navan hospital and will need an ICU bed post-operation. I understand from the report that such a person, even if orthopaedic services remained at Navan, would not be treated there due to the closure of the ICU unit, as per the smaller hospitals report.

Contrary to the contents of the smaller hospitals report, local Fine Gael Deputies have been out and about and stated in the media that the report was wrong about the services and that they will not close. I seek clarity from the Minister on the future provision of services at Our Lady's Hospital, Navan. The provision of hospital services is a huge issue in County Meath and 15,000 people protested in October 2010. At the time the Minister for Health and Children gave an assurance that services in Navan would not be downgraded. The new report suggests a change of mind and that he broke his promise.

In the weeks approaching the 2011 general election the Fine Gael team in Meath gave a commitment to provide a regional hospital for the north east in Navan. At the time they said that they were working on the initiative with a number of investors who could participate in a public private partnership. Today's Adjournment is a good forum to debate the matter. Yesterday the hospital report was published but there was no Topical Issues debate on it in the Dáil. I do not know if there will be a Topical Issues debate today on the subject. The Seanad is a good forum to seek a clear answer from the Government on the future of Our Lady's Hospital, Navan.