Thousands of people have attended a rally in Navan protesting against the proposed closure of the emergency room at Our Lady's hospital.
The rally began at the Navan Enterprise Centre at 1pm and made its way to Brews Hill, where a number of speakers will address the crowd.
Local people are opposed to the closure of the ED and believe more investment is what is needed at the hospital in Navan.
However, senior clinicians say the move is about patient safety.
One of the rally organisers, Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín, told the crowd that the closure of the emergency department would simply add to the problem of record overcrowding which is being seen at hospitals around the country.
Mr Tóibín said had no trust in senior HSE management.
He thanked clinicians in Drogheda for pointing out that they would not be able to deal with additional demand caused by the closure of the emergency room in Navan.
"They say it's not safe because there are not acute surgery services in Navan. Who closed the acute surgery services in our Hospital? The HSE did," he said.
Noeleen O'Donghue, secretary of the Save Navan Hospital Campaign group and a staff member at the hospital, told the crowd that reconfiguration of the health services have not worked.
"Navan requires a fully-functional, 24/7 A&E," she said
"The HSE say: 'It's not safe, lives will be lost'. Then make it safe," she added.
The HSE has acknowledged it needs to provide more clarity around the proposed changes at Navan, which will see the emergency department close and be replaced with a GP referred 24/7 medical assessment unit.
It also said it is taking steps in relation to increasing capacity at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin says 'downgrading' is the wrong phrase in relation to the changes being made at Navan hospital, adding that ‘there needs to be proper consultation’ with the community and with healthcare professionals in Drogheda and Navan. | https://t.co/I4Nrr2Tgry pic.twitter.com/PRGqWVMHRN
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) July 9, 2022
The Taoiseach disputed claims that Navan hospital will be downgraded, saying that there will continue to be investment there.
Speaking in Cork this afternoon, Micheál Martin added that there needs to be proper consultation with local communities, with local public representatives and with health care professionals both in Drogheda and Navan and with the primary care community as well, in respect of people getting "the right care at the right time".
"Reconfiguration [of services] is not new. We need to learn lessons from earlier reconfigurations and I understand fully people's concerns here," Mr Martin said.
"I know that the Minister for Health is working with the HSE to make sure that those consultations happen and that a comprehensive resourcing happens, in terms of both Navan and the broader northeast area."
Minister unsure HSE 'covered themselves in glory'
The Minister for State at the Department of Health Frank Feighan has said that he is "not sure if the HSE has covered themselves in glory" regarding the handling of changes at Navan Hospital.
Speaking to RTÉ's Saturday with Mary Regan, he said that the "reality on the ground, I am not sure if the HSE has covered themselves in glory, because the resources at the other hospitals may not be there yet".
He said that there is no proposal to close or downsize the hospital, but the expert clinical view is that patients currently attending Navan Hospital who are unstable and critically ill have the best chance of survival if they are brought directly to a model three or model four hospital with all of the specialities.
In a statement, the Department of Health said the HSE has proposed a process of planned service changes at Navan.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has heard "the very real concerns of senior clinicians at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, who have said that additional capacity would be needed to support the proposed changes", the statement said.
Minister Donnelly "does not want to see any diminution of services for people in the Navan area and believes these issues would need to be fully addressed before any proposed transition by the HSE."
The statement added that the Department of Health are engaging with the HSE in relation to a review of the capacity that has been provided to support the proposed changes.
Additional reporting Sinead Hussey, Cathy Halloran
