Threat to CCU and A&E as ward closures start

The future of medical services, the coronary care unit (CCU) and the A&E at Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan is now under serious threat as a lack of junior anaesthetic staff will make services there unviable as early as January, according to sources within the hospital. With four out of five junior anaesthetists due to leave the hospital in January, staff within the hospital believe it will be impossible to attract such doctors to a facility that does not have an acute surgical service. Meanwhile, as the Save Navan Hospital Committee counts down to a massive protest planned for next Saturday week, the clergy in Navan also have come out in support of the campaign to save the hospital. In a strongly-worded statement issued last week, the priests of St Mary’s Parish said: “Our present financial troubles should not become an altar on which the lives of vulnerable, ill people can be sacrificed in order to appease the gods of economic forces. The care of the ill members of our community is a matter of justice, it cannot be reduced to balance sheet mathematics.” The closure of 28 beds in the hospital was set to begin on Monday, following a meeting between the HSE and staff on Wednesday of last week. A 15-bed medical ward, which the HSE say was a “temporary medical ward set up last July to support changes in medical services at Louth County Hospital in Dundalk” is to close, along with a 13-bed surgical ward. The decision has been criticised by unions involved in the hospital, who said they were shocked and disappointed at the move. Meanwhile, the othapaedic unit at Our Lady’s is due to close temporarily on 17th December but the HSE has indicated there will be sufficient orthopaedic surgeons to treat private and public patients. This was in response to claims by Deputy Shane McEntee that the surgeon who treated all public orthopaedic patients was going on a six-month leave of absence. Sources within the hospital said this week that junior anaesthetists not only administer anaesthesia, but also look after the airwaves and breathing of people with serious illnesses such as stroke, epilepsy, drug overdoses and many other emergencies. Four out of five of these junior doctors are due to leave Our Lady’s in January and staff say this will cause a major crisis as it will be very difficult for Our Lady’s to attract junior anaestethists to a hospital without an acute surgical service, particularly as there is a shortage of junior doctors generally throughout the country. “You cannot run an emergency department or an acute medical facility without anaestethists. This puts the future of the medical department, coronary care and A&E at risk,” one source pointed out. A spokesperson for the HSE said that a shortage of non-consultant hospital doctors was an issue for hospitals around the country, and not just for Navan The statement issued by the priests in Navan said they shared the same level of public concern over the ongoing reductions in services at Our Lady’s Hospital. “We commend those civic leaders and local activists who have mobilised to raise awareness of the impact of these reductions on our community and for other communities in the surrounding areas,” they said. The statement said they were dismayed by insinuations made in the public arena that the standard of care at Our Lady’s Hospital was inadequate. “We know that the people of Navan and surrounding areas have always valued the care provided by the dedicated staff in the hospital. “We therefore urge our elected representatives, and those within the HSE who have responsibility for these decisions, to act for the good of the community and to ensure that whatever our economic situation, the needs and rights of citizens to essential and basic medical treatment in their community should not be compromised,” the local clergy added. Meanwhile, the Save Navan Hospital campaign has gathered momentum in recent weeks, with a petition signed by 9,000 people. Over 20,000 leaflets will be distributed in the county this week and 2,000 posters will be erected. The campaign has managed to get the support of all the political parties on the local council, medical professionals at the hospital, sporting organisations, schools, churches, community groups, St Patrick’s Day organisations from all the Meath towns, local festival organisations, retired people’s groups and bands. Supporters gathered at Trim Castle last Saturday and formed a giant 'H’ to highlight concerns throughout the county for the future of Our Lady’s Hospital. Spokesperson Cllr Peadar Tóibín said that tens of thousands of people from the Trim area rely on Navan Hospital. “All we need is Minister Dempsey or one of the other of the county’s four fianna Fail TDs to gain the necessary political will to stand up for the hospital. If just one of them declared that their support for the Government was dependent on the continuation of services at Navan Hospital, then Our Lady’s Hospital would be saved,” he said.