The family of a man who bled to death at Monaghan General Hospital last year have criticised staff at the facility.
Pat Joe Walsh, 76, bled to death at the hospital because doctors there could not secure a bed at another hospital which could have performed life-saving surgery.
Campaigners say the recommendations in a HSE report will result in more people losing their lives unnecessarily.
The report into the death of Pat Joe Walsh almost a year ago has recommended that acute in-patient services at the hospital be suspended immediately.
The report into the death of Pat Joe Walsh finds that his death was avoidable.
Mr Walsh, who was from Carrickmacross, bled to death on 14 October 2005 because he could not be transferred to another hospital for emergency surgery.
The report reveals that as Mr Walsh was being resuscitated at Monaghan General another patient with a suspected case of appendicitis was in fact transferred to Cavan General Hospital.
Within three hours, Pat Joe Walsh was dead.
The report describes some of the events on the morning that he died as surprising and barely credible.
It finds that the unwillingness of surgeons in Drogheda and Cavan to accept the transfer of Mr Walsh to their hospitals was unacceptable.
It also claims that health authorities in the northeast have failed over a sustained period to address the factors that resulted in Mr Walsh's death.
Earlier, the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, said the report made recommendations which were crucial for future patient safety in the northeast.
Ms Harney said she hoped the report would provide some comfort to the relatives of the dead man.
However, the report has been condemned. Local Independent TD Paudge Connolly described it as 'an insult to the life of the Pat Joe Walsh'.
The family of Mr Walsh, meanwhile, have said they believe he was given no chance of survival on the night he died.
They claim his case was not a priority on the night in question and highlight the fact that another patient was transferred from Monaghan to Cavan general on the night.
They are also critical of management for their failure to address the issues surrounding the future of the hospital.
A spokesperson said they do not believe there is a proper health service in the area, only segments not working for overall good of patients.
