March against ED closure planned for 9th July

Tens of thousands of protestors are expected to take to the streets of Navan in protest at plans to close Navan Hospital's ED in a mass rally on Saturday 9th July.

The Save Navan Hospital Campaign have vowed to take thousands onto the streets and to "fight tooth and nail to ensure that this growing county has a safe and local emergency health service into the future."

The campaign will hold a key public meeting in the Newgrange Hotel, Navan on Thursday the 30th of June.

"The strength of the Save Navan Hospital Campaign has come from the fact that we are a cross community, cross party organisation. "We have taken over 50,000 people onto the streets of Meath in the past and we will do it again, " said chairman, Deputy Peadar Toibin.

Meanwhile, he welcomed a statement issued by Unions representing Health Care Staff at Navan Hospital and in all of the surrounding Hospitals.

The letter states that no plans, resources or supports have been created to help the already overburdened surrounding hospitals and if the plan goes ahead, it would mean the pushing tens of thousands of patients to other overburdened hospitals.

The letter goes on to highlight the chronic overcrowding that has existed for decades as a result of previous A&E shutdowns the North East, Midwest and border regions and calls on the HSE and the Government to engage with staff representatives to discuss "this damaging and dangerous plan."

“Health Care Staff have been carrying the burden of the grossly under resourced health service for years. It is therefore shocking that nearly five days after the HSE had issued a letter stating that the A&E in Navan was going to close neither the HSE nor the Government have engaged with workers representatives," said Deputy Toibin.