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The latest update with Monaghan hospital
Mid-2002 status
- Hospital Off
Call
- Just five hospital
in-patients!
- One
defunct boiler, one almost defunct
boiler.
2007 status
- Medical Call restored in January
2005
- Bed Complement regularly
100%
- New state-of-the-art Cardiac
Rehabilitation Unit
- New 6-Bay Accident & Emergency
Unit
-
4.5 million spent on two wards (50% increase in
floorspace)
- New Boiler installed costing
€750,000
The
Future ofMonaghan
General Hospital
Paudge Connolly is absolutely convinced that we have a
major fight on our hands to maintain services at Monaghan General
Hospital
We have fought since the 1969 FitzGerald Report and
every negative Report since.
Monaghan General Hospital undoubtedly is still
the No. 1 issue for Monaghan people.
We have suceeded in maintaining services and having
‘On Call’ status returned.
Is Monaghan General Hospital On
Call &
What does On Call
mean?
On Call means that when an ambulance is requested,
that it will bring that patient to Monaghan
General
Hospital.
Monaghan General Hospital is back “On Call” for
medical emergencies i.e. heart attack, stroke,
diabetic
comas etec. This caters for approximately 95% of
emergencies.
Medical “On Call” status returned to Monaghan
General
Hospital in
January ‘05.
Surgical emergencies are brought to Our Lady of
Lourdes in Drogheda and Cavan General Hospital.
N.B. Recently some life-threatening surgical
emergencies have been treated successfully at Monaghan General
Hospital
Minor surgical injuries are treated at Monaghan
General Hospital
Surgical emergencies are brought to Our Lady of
Lourdes in Drogheda and Cavan
General Hospital.
2004 update - A View from the
Dáil
Virtually two years into
my Dáil term of office, which time has fairly zipped along, our
local hospital services have steadily regressed to the stage where
Cavan General Hospital has been denuded of essential services. The
focus in service diminution has now switched from Monaghan General
Hospital to Cavan, something that I had predicted a long time ago -
it now appears that small is no longer beautiful, according to the
Hanly doctrine.
A number of issues
seriously need addressing at the present time - chief among them is
the ongoing situation at Cavan General Hospital, where the
suspension of two consultants for 'inter-personal difficulties' has
triggered a critical logjam in relation to elective and major
surgery. The departure of major surgery from Cavan General Hospital
has resonances of the experience of Monaghan General Hospital - 'Off
Call' now for almost two years to Accident and Emergency
cases.
Both are excellent
hospitals, with caring and dedicated staffs, and no reflection
whatever is intended on either staff. Indeed, Monaghan's referrals
to Cavan General have precipitated an unprecedented situation, and
the logical solution would entail the restoration of 'On Call'
status to Monaghan General Hospital, thus relieving the enormous
pressure there.
The ill-considered
proposal to abolish Health Boards would remove the last vestiges of
local democracy and transparency from the health services. The
public will be deprived of a monthly voice at Health Board meetings
to convey their attitudes to the health services, and the direction
they should take. Certain political elements will heave a collective
sigh of relief that the health services will not receive a public
airing any more.
Among NEHB members from
Cavan and Monaghan confusion reigned on occasion, with some members
failing to speak out in favour of their own services, and
effectively being in denial of what was happening in Cavan General
Hospital. Unbelievably another member even welcomed the Report of
the Inspector of Mental Hospitals, recommending the closure of the
Admissions Unit of St. Davnet's Hospital.
The current proposal to
increase pension age will bear particularly heavily on those in the
health service, care and administrative staff and especially in the
Psychiatric service. Conditions of employment here provided for
pensions at age 55 with 30 years' service, and this is now radically
altered to age 65 with 40 years' service.
This represents a truly
mega deterioration in working conditions, since actuaries (insurance
'bookies' who set the odds) have calculated that anyone working from
age 20 to 65 will live on average just 2 years and 8 months. Does
this amount to 'Euthanasia by stealth' on the part of the Minister ?
Paudge Connolly, TD.
The much-awaited Bonner report has been delivered
to the NEHB and debated. In relation to the report, I feel there
are two major issues
- No funding has been identified to implement the recommendations
in the report.
- In relation to one of the major recommendations in the
report, i.e. Midwife lead maternity services, Comhairle na nOspidáel
have indicated that this will be a non-starter for Monaghan
The next report which
is overdue, the Hanley Report
- Major recommendations in relation to hospitals nationally.
May have implications for A&E departments in small hospitals
.
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