PEADAR McMAHON,
Sir, - Please allow me space to make some comments in reply to the article by Elaine Keogh in your edition of September 25th.
Over the past couple of years we have seen a fully functional hospital in Monaghan being reduced to a nursing home. The accommodation, the equipment and the qualified and caring staff are in place but they are not allowed to offer the services to the people of the county. The North Eastern Health Board blames the Government, the College of Anaesthesia, the College of Surgeons, the Medical Board in Monaghan, Comhairle na nOispideal and other statutory bodies for this situation.
At the moment GPs in the county are experiencing great difficulty and some times it is impossible to find a hospital to accept Monaghan patients. Ambulances cannot inform relatives to which hospital they are going to take patients, some of whom are in need of urgent treatment and it could be Drogheda, Cavan, Dundalk, Navan, Beaumont, Enniskillen or Craigavon.
The latest Health Board proposals for the future of the hospital will mean a continuation of this situation. Oh yes, we will have a dermatology service, gynaecology service, paediatric service, etc., - but all on a nine-to-five, five-day week basis, but sudden illnesses and accidents will be taken to some of the other hospitals. This, they say according to their medical advisers, is in the best interests of the patients' safety.
Many parts of the county are over two hours away from these hospitals, traversing some of the worst roads in Ireland. Monaghan has a very large number of high-risk industries which require Accident and Emergency within easy reach. The National Primary Route (N2) passes through the county. There is a high accident rate on our roads. Many major sporting events are held in the county but the nearest Accident and Emergency centre will be two hours away, and they tell us that is "Safe". We are given independent medical advice that it is far from "Safe".
If these proposals are put into operation there will be at least 100 job losses in the hospital and many more subsidiary losses. Some of the industries will have to relocate or close down causing further losses. What are the unions doing about it? Are they concerned about these job losses?
So it is the Government who is to blame. Is this the kind of inhumane treatment we must accept from our governors? What is the "acceptable mortality rate" for Monaghan? What number of needless deaths will be acceptable to the Minister of Health - a Minister who has publicly, on numerous occasions, promised new appointments and an upgrading of the hospital? Now we find from the health board that he will not give them the money to do what they want with Monaghan. He told us there was €7.5 million approved for Monaghan, and the CEO of the health board is reported in the local paper one week ago saying that he had the money but was not allowed to proceed with plans because of other statutory bodies.
We are told that the NEHB received €19.5 million to run Monaghan hospital this year. We are getting poor value for money. For 12 weeks they paid full staff to keep a hospital going for fewer than a dozen patients and that would still be the case were it not for the fact that the consultants in the hospital admitted sick people against the wishes of the health board.
Who are we to believe in all of this? Who is in charge of the health services in this country? To us it appears that there is no control, no responsibility, no accountability, no planning, no communication and no captain of the health boat, which is sinking fast and not just in Monaghan. Isn't it past time that all our politicians cried "Halt" to the wasted expenditure and organised our health services to meet the needs of the people. If the Minister has no role in how and where these services are provided, then let's get rid of that office and spend the money on saving lives. - Yours, etc.,
PEADAR McMAHON,
Chairman,
Co Monaghan
Community Alliance,
Emyvale,
Co Monaghan.