Controversial plans for the merging of surgery facilities at Roscommon County Hospital and Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, are to go ahead.
Despite objections from a Government Junior Minister, the plans will go ahead as soon as two additional surgeons can be recruited.
The Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney said today the most important thing for both hospitals is to strengthen the surgical team.
She understands from the HSE that the recruitment process is about to get under way.
Responding to comments made by Junior Minister Michael Finneran, who said he was unhappy with the proposal for Roscommon, Ms Harney said Deputy Finneran had a meeting in 2006 with the HSE and there has been no change from the issues that were raised at that meeting.
The Minister said surgery will continue to be carried out on-site in Roscommon and that the HSE had made this clear when it met Deputy Finneran in 2006.
'Minister Finneran went out and sold that in good faith and got elected on the basis of that and that is the position that will continue to operate as far as the recruitment of the new consultants are concerned,' Ms Harney said.
New facilities at Mullingar
Ms Harney also said today that new facilities that have been delayed for several years at the Midland Regional Hospital in Mullingar will be commissioned before the end of the year.
She said the new hospital will be up and running early next year.
Speaking in Mullingar this morning at the opening of the new 16-suite consultants clinic at Ballinderry, Ms Harney said that when the new facilities are fully operational early next year, the HSE will examine the capacity that is required at the hospital.
