The consultants' body, Comhairle na nOspideál, has been criticised by members of the North Eastern Health Board after its review of accident and emergency services in the board's five hospitals recommended that four of five new positions of consultant in emergency medicine be located in Drogheda, the fifth to be based in Cavan General Hospital.
The failure to recommend consultants for its acute hospitals in Dundalk, Navan or Monaghan was condemned by a succession of speakers at Monday's health board meeting who called it "crazy" and "scandalous".
In seven years' time Navan will have a population as big as Galway's. and Meath county councillor Mr James Mangan said the comhairle had failed to make provision for a consultant in A&E at Navan hospital.
Ministerial appointee to the board Mr Alf Dwyer said the review showed the agenda of Comhairle and its promotion of consultants. "I have also noted that whenever you challenged any appointments the health board would blame the comhairle and even the Minister for Health seemed to have little control over this body."
It was his view that the agenda of Comhairle na nOspideál was to favour large hospitals with a number of consultants in each speciality, which would allow plenty of free time for consultants to pursue their private practice.
The chairman of the board, Mr Declan Breathnach, said it was irrelevant to Comhairle na nOspideál whether the board accepted or rejected its recommendations but he believed the feelings of the members should be made known to it.
Deputy Paudge Connolly (non-party), who won a Dáil seat after campaigning on a health ticket, said the review of Accident and Emergency services by Comhairle na nOspidéal had ignored the views of the board members.
"Four of the nine accident black spots in this region are in Monaghan and they don't see fit to put A&E there."
Dundalk GP Dr Paul McCarthy described the report as "crazy". He said centralising A&E services in Drogheda would downgrade the hospitals in Dundalk, Navan and Monaghan.
Meath councillor Mr Tommy Reilly described the failure to recommend a consultant for Navan or Dundalk as "scandalous".
An independent review is under way of a number of specialities in the NEHB, including A&E services, and board members have recommended that this review considers their concerns about the Comhairle na nOspidéal review and pays attention to the provision of additional consultants in Dundalk, Monaghan and Navan.