Hospital protest rally on 17th May

Thousands of protestors are expected to take to the streets of Navan again on 17th May to vent their fury at proposals to downgrade the Accident and Emergency department at Our Lady’s Hospital.
Following a fiery meeting of the Save Navan Hospital Campaign last week, over 100 people volunteered to help co ordinate a mass rally in the town, which will co-incide with hospital rallies in various other towns around the country on the same day.
Last week’s meeting saw representatives of all the political parties and the independent local election candidates speak about the future of the hospital.
Deputy Damien English insisted that the A&E services in Navan would not be reduced as he said that there wasn’t the capacity to deal with it elsewhere.
However, local campaigners fear they have just over a year to save Navan’s emergency department following a clear indication from senior HSE management two weeks ago that the facility will be relocated to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda next year.
Campaign chairman, Deputy Peadar Tóibin, said this week that the mood at last week’s meeting had been very angry.
“It would appear that there is massive discontent in Meath that the A&E will no longer be a 24 hour service.
“The Save Navan Hospital Campaign is fully committed to save the current A&E facilities until the new regional hospital is built,” he said.
The campaign will now start mobilising local clubs, organsiations, schools and churches to take part in the protest on 17th May.
More than 10,000 people took to the streets of Navan in October 2010 to protest at the downgrading of the hospital and  an estimates 6,000 protested in a mass rally again in November 2011.