MORE THAN 2,000 people marched in Portlaoise yesterday in opposition to any reconfiguration of services at the Midland Regional Hospital in the town.
Addressing the protesters, all four of Laois’s Oireachtas members vowed to fight for hospital services at Portlaoise, where serious concerns have been raised about the future of the 24-hour emergency service due to staffing shortages.
In a statement on Friday the Health Service Executive said: “Portlaoise hospital will be able to maintain 24-hour emergency services from July 11th pending the anticipated filling of a number of remaining vacant junior doctor posts in this approved hospital setting. The provision of a safe, quality service is paramount to all involved.”
However, the statement did little to quell fears in Laois, where many are concerned that the threat to the hospital remains.
Fianna Fáil TD Seán Fleming said it was “simply madness” to talk about closing the hospital’s emergency department at night and at weekends. “We will march today, we will fight today, we will win this battle.”
Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley said despite underfunding Portlaoise’s emergency department dealt with more than 41,000 presentations in 2010. He urged the people of Laois to keep their placards and use them to mount a protest outside the Dáil.
“For our part as a party, we are using our speaking time this week in the Dáil to highlight the issue of Portlaoise and Roscommon, and I encourage people to come along and attend and protest outside the Dáil.”
Labour Senator John Whelan said “the threat and danger to the downgrading of Portlaoise hospital has not gone away”.
“The reality is all we have is a stop-gap solution, a temporary measure, on July 11th. However, the HSE plan to downgrade the AE and to introduce nine to five Monday to Friday services remains in place as soon as they can find and figure out a way of rolling it out.”
Fine Gael TD Charlie Flanagan said there could be no case for downgrading the emergency service in Portlaoise.
“I pledge myself to fight that issue for and on behalf of the people of Portlaoise,” he told the gathering.
Peter O’Neill, spokesman for the Save Portlaoise Hospital Action Committee, told the protesters to remain vigilant.
“We must ensure now that we continue what we have started. There is still a long way to go, don’t be under any illusion, we cannot become complacent, the HSE will almost certainly try to remove services again.”