Campaigners vow to ‘fight tooth and nail’ to save ED

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 has 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."

"There is a palpable sense of anger in Meath at the Government and HSE plan to shut down Navan A&E," said Deputy Peadar Tóibín, chair of the Save Navan Hospital Campaign.

"Information that I have received from the Minister for Health through Parliamentary Questions has shown that a closure of Navan A&E would push thousands of patients from a hospital group with a low increase in adverse incidents into a hospital group with the highest increase in adverse Incidents in the country”.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin Meath TDs Johnny Guirke and Darren O’Rourke have criticised the government’s failure to back the party’s motion to protect emergency services at Navan Hospital.

In a vote on Tuesday evening, the government failed to support the Sinn Féin motion to protect and enhance crucial emergency services at Navan Hospital and to publish a plan to end emergency department overcrowding.

“The government has failed the people of Meath this evening in their refusal to back Sinn Féin’s motion to protect emergency services at Navan Hospital. They have let local communities down very badly.

“For all their talk in recent days, when it came down to casting their votes, the government TDs in Meath didn’t stand with the people. Sinn Féin will continue to fight tooth and nail to protect and enhance our health services.”

Deputy Darren O'Rourke said: “This fight does not end here. Sinn Féin will continue to stand up for emergency services in Meath and for better investment in our healthcare system. Sinn Féin in government would deliver a properly resourced health service, with the investment and staffing needed to ensure patients receive high-quality and timely care.”

Deputy Toibin concluded: “This decision effects everyone as when Hospital A&Es are overcrowded staff are diverted from working on surgery lists to deal with the overcrowding.

"We have nearly 1million people on hospital waiting lists. Overcrowding resulting our A&E closure will lengthen Hospital waiting lists. The Save Navan Hospital Campaign has brought over 50,000 people on to the streets of Meath in previous marches and we are putting the Government TDs are put on notice.

"The people of Meath will not tolerate damage being done to our health service”.