Major show of support for local hospital

Two stories which emerged at Saturday's big rally in Navan in support of the local hospital underscored, on a human level, why it is vital that people continue to fight to retain services in the main county town of Meath. One was the tale of how a man in his 60s suffered a broken femur following an accident in a car park in Navan and was removed from the scene to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, where he remained on a trolley, in pain, for three days before being operated upon. The second was young patient Catriona Nolan from Athboy who was treated in Our Lady's for viral meningitis several weeks ago. Her message was a simple one and focused on an often overlooked but important patient need - proximity to family and friends who could visit her easily and at will. There was no time during her stay in Navan where she did not see a familiar face, she said, as she was looked after in the comfort of her own community. On Saturday, Navan once again witnessed thousands of concerned local people take to the streets to protest at cutbacks and downgrading at Our Lady's Hospital. While the turnout was certainly not as large as the previous monster rally in October of 2010 when 10,000+ protesters vented their feelings at the litany of cuts raining down upon their local hospital, a crowd of between 6,000 and 7,000 from communities all across County Meath was anxious to make its voice heard. A diverse range of community groups, sporting organisations, clubs and bands made up the attendance as they marched from the Trim Road through the main streets of the town to a rally at Brews Hill, within sight of the hospital, where a range of speakers detailed the cuts which have taken place there in recent times, including reducing the use of agency staff and cutting out all overtime and the closure of some beds. Representatives from the medical profession, nursing profession, patients' groups and political parties all expressed fears that the HSE would attempt to make further cuts to services, including the elimination of the 24-hour emergency department and its replacement with a 12-hour service. Many of the objectors' demands centre on a government promise not to remove emergency services at Our Lady's until the new regional hospital for the north-east is built and operational. The argument has been made over and over again that any transfer of services to an already overburdened Drogheda Hospital is neither safe nor fair on the people of Meath or Louth. Promises that there will always be a hospital in Navan from the government ring hollow if there are no emergency department staff to operate it or if it is closed from 8pm at night until 8am each morning. Outspoken GP Dr Ruairi Hanley, a key figure in the Save Navan Hospital campaign, electrified the crowd with a strongly-worded and no-holds barred contribution which heaped criticism on the HSE and the manner in which it has been dealing with the hospital issue in Meath. He told the crowd there were people in the HSE who were "plotting to nail Navan hospital", but added that the people of Meath were not going to wait "to be shafted", as he encouraged Our Lady's Hospital supporters to take a stand and send a clear message to the government and the HSE that they can expect a major fight if any attempt is made to further downgrade the hospital. Several speakers focused on the promises made by Dr Reilly at the 2010 rally in Navan when in opposition. At that time, he told the people of Meath that services would be retained in Navan. Now, when in government, he has been accused of refusing to meet the Save Navan Hospital campaign and there is increasing concern that his Framework Report for the Development of Smaller Hospitals will recommend the closure of ED and acute surgical services at smaller hospitals, including Navan. The minister has stressed that the plan will not provide for the closure of any acute hospital, and has pledged that smaller hospitals will also gain new services as well as losing some. Pressure to move some major services away from smaller hospitals has been highlighted by safety body HIQA, which has been critical of the slow rate of progress by the HSE in reconfiguring hospital services on patient safety grounds. Nonetheless, from a political perspective, the people of Navan and Meath have not forgotten the pledges made about Our Lady's and it is clear that people who care about retaining hospital services in County Meath will not let Our Lady's go the same way as Roscommon, Monaghan and Dundalk without a very big fight. See Eamonn Norris' video of the march: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3unqhN9vEwU