The Health Service Executive has told staff in the northeast of the country of planned changes to their provision of acute services.
The changes will centralise all emergency services, acute medicine and critical care services at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.
Staff at Our Lady's Hospital in Navan and the Louth County Hospital in Dundalk have been informed of the downgrading, which will come into effect early next year.
Day procedures and minor operations will instead take place in Navan and Dundalk.
The nurses' union has expressed concern at the change, while campaigners in Dundalk have described it as 'a disaster.'
Anita McCann of the Louth Hospital Campaign Group said the decision 'is the final nail in the coffin' of the hospital.
However, Minister for Justice, and local TD, Dermot Ahern said he would be seeking a meeting with Professor Brendan Drumm to discuss the issue.
He said he wants to be reassured that any changes will have patient safety as the main priority.
The Irish Nurses Organisation said its members do not have confidence in the HSE to put proper infrastructure and staff in place before implementing the changes.
The HSE manager of the Louth Meath Hospital Group, Des O'Flynn, however, has insisted that changes will only take place when better services are in place.
He said the majority of patients would still receive treatment in either the Louth County or Our Lady's in Navan and that overall there would be a much better and safety service in the area.
