Keep regional hospital on agenda

Dear sir - Last Wednesday's meeting hosted by the Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly, between the HSE and the Save Navan Hospital committee was a good day for Navan Hospital and I want to thank all our elected representatives who made this meeting possible. I also thank very sincerely the staff, doctors, nurses and volunteers who believe in our hospital and have not or will not give up the fight to maintain this community facility to the highest level of excellence possible for the good of us all. Before the run up to the last general election our hospital faced certain closure because it was deemed unsafe. That threat has being removed for the good of us all, and I want to thank the HSE for this forward move. As a result of the meeting, other important things were agreed such as a strong line of communication being established and agreed on by the HSE and the hospital campaign and that can work for the good of us all. I have personally served on three 'Save Navan Hospital' committees as there has being an underlying threat to our hospital since the late Dermot Forde and his brilliant committee first saved it back in the 80s. That underlying threat remains. The very high numbers currently using this facility is protecting it for now but that may not always be the case. When we live in an area with three A&E departments with in an half an hour of us and in a country with no money there will always be a threat and we need to be aware of this and stay alert as a community. The only real long term future for us as a community in need of local health care is to do far more networking with the powers that be and less media and to push for a regional hospital in Navan as short to medium term goal. Please demand the regional hospital for Navan now and please continue in numbers to use our present brilliant medical facilities on the hospital site, they are second to none. We in Navan are in the proper location for the new regional hospital, we have the site and the infrastructure and the need. Now as a community, let's all make it happen. Yours, Paddy Pryle, Save Navan Hospital Committee, Castleview, Athlumney, Navan.