For many years the good people of Monaghan worked hard to maintain full services at Monaghan General Hospital, factory workers contributed in the 1980s to buy state of the art equipment for the hospital, workers who were on small wages put their hands in their pockets so that hospital could be maintained. We were often made promises by politicians such as Fianna Fail’s, Patsy Treanor, a man who was at the same time failing to pay his taxes. However, Sean Conlon hit the nail on the head when he said we must ‘use it or lose it’, David Maxwell has the political clout of a wet rag and should not be trusted with anything never mind the county hospital. The people of Monaghan have solid representation in the Dail and should use that representation, no matter what its political shade to ensure the retention of the remaining services at Monaghan Hospital.
“Use it or lose it!” was the phrase employed by Sinn Féin councillor Sean Conlon when Monaghan available at Monaghan General Hospital.
Fine Gael councillor Tommy Hagan told the meeting that Town Council Cathaoirleach David Maxwell and himself had recently lobbied Minister for Health Dr James Reilly in relation to the provision of a Medical Assessment Unit at the hospital – a contribution which prompted Sinn Féin’s Donal Sherry to remark on the recent absence from the Northern Standard of Colr Hagan’s “weekly column” of press releases which related to hospital services in Monaghan.
Fine Gael’s Mary Carroll had raised the hospital issue, stating that a number of people had contacted her in recent weeks about the lack of availability of information on the Cavan/Monaghan Hospital website as to what minor injuries could be treated at Monaghan Hospital and what couldn’t.
Colr Carroll said that, while this information was distributed in leaflet form a number of years ago, she thought it important that it be made available on the website. She proposed that the Council write to the Health Service Executive asking them to do so. She felt that people in an emergency situation could not be expected to find a leaflet they received three years ago.
Seconding this proposal, Colr Hagan said that a lot of people didn’t know that minor injuries could be treated at Monaghan. The hospital was there for the public’s use during its daytime opening hours.
Colr Carroll said her concern was with those injuries that were a little bit more serious, and where people were confronted with the risk of delay in knowing whether to bring patients to Monaghan Hospital first or take them directly to Cavan. It was the more serious situations she would be concerned about.
The Cathaoirleach (David Maxwell) said if people attended the Minor Injuries Unit at Monaghan they would be told in two minutes if they could be treated there or not. He would encourage people to use Monaghan Hospital and not by-pass it.
Recalling the recent meeting between delegations from Monaghan Co and Town Councils with Minister for Health Dr James Reilly, the Cathaoirleach noted the emphasis placed on statistics at the meeting, and said that if people weren’t using the hospital then the figures would go against it.
Colr Conlon: Use it or lose it.
Robbie Gallagher advised people to contact their local GP, who would tell them whether they could or could not be treated at Monaghan.
