Decision to refer all emergency surgery from Navan to Drogheda queried

Plans to refer all emergency surgery from Our Lady's Hospital in Navan to the hospital in Drogheda has been described as "a dangerous move" by the Save Navan Hospital Campaign.

For the past ten years, any emergency surgery cases at the hospital in Navan was transferred on a rota basis to five other hospitals, including Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Cavan Hospital and Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, but it is now proposed to transfer all those cases to Drogheda.

"It has come to my attention that the Surgical Transfer Policy that has been in place at Navan for 10 years is now being changed. Instead of a system that has worked reasonably well in sending patients in need of emergency surgery to five different hospitals on a rota, the HSE now wants all emergency surgery patients to be sent to Drogheda alone," said Deputy Peadar Toibin, chair of the Save Navan Hospital campaign.

"Drogheda is under immense pressure at the moment. This is no time for such a change to be made. I do not have confidence that Drogheda would be able to take these patients. I am calling on the HSE to stop this action now and to consider implementing the necessary resources in Navan so that we can treat these patients here," he said .

The Royal College of Surgeons Hospital Group, of which Drogheda, Cavan and Connolly Hospitals are members, were approached for comment,

Meanwhile Deputy Toibin said that Covid-19 has proven without a shadow of a doubt the need for a fully functional Hospital in Meath.

"Imagine if there was no Save Navan Hospital Campaign. Imagine if the people of Meath did not make a stand to protect our A&E. Imagine if the government had got away with closing our A&E. Consider for one minute the health chaos that there would be in this Covid Crisis. We would have no critical ICU beds in Navan in this time of need".

"There are 30 patients in Our Lady's Hospital in Navan with Covid. There are 140 in Drogheda with Covid. There are 50 staff absent from work in Navan either due to Covid or as a close contact. The Health crisis in Meath would be far worse only that the people of Meath defended our Hospital," he said.

"Many people have commented to me over the last few weeks that the staff at Our Lady's have been phenomenal. The standard of work and the commitment of staff despite the this dangerous environment has been outstanding. We owe these staff a debt of gratitude. One way of showing this is for people to be cautious and careful and make sure that they keep their contacts as low as possible. Doing the simple stuff right again and again on social distancing, washing hands and being careful can take the pressure off," he said.

"The systems are working well in Navan now," he added.