Una McArdle and Cllr Tomás Sharkey from the Save Our Hospital Services Committee took the initiative last Friday and intervened in Brian Cowen's visit to Dundalk. The campaigners heard that An Taoiseach was due to attend a meeting in the Ballymac Hotel  and decided to present a letter of protest to Brian Cowen about the planned closure of A&E, ICU and Acute Medical Services in Louth County Hospital.

Speaking afterwards Tomás Sharkey said;

"It made absolute sense to us when we heard Brian Cowen was in town. Of course, his itinerary did not include a visit to the services that his government plans to close. For years now we have heard excuses from local representatives of the government about the closure of services.

"Una McArdle made a very straight appeal to Brian Cowen. She let him know that the public, patients and staff are standing together for our hospital and are calling on the government to do the same.

"Our letter which Una put into An Taoiseach's hands details the www.louthhospital.com website. Hopefully government advisors will see the photos and video of the thousands of people who oppose their plans."



Click here for a copy of the letter handed to An Taoiseach which explains the arguments against the closure of services.

With the imminent closure of acute medical services at Louth County hospital in Dundalk was Monaghan General Hospital an experiment by the Government to the reaction of people to the threat of losing their hospital services?

Arthur Morgan chair of the Save Our Hospital Services and TD for County Louth says

"The people of Clonmel and Ballinasloe are the latest to learn that they too are going to be subject to the FF/Green hospital axe. People of these two towns, like the people of Dundalk protested in their thousands in an effort to keep their services.  It would be interesting to see how the political leaders who represent Clonmel and Ballinasloe will stand up for their people or will it be like Louth where the Government parties fully supported these closures.

"The battle to Save Services at the Louth is continuing and the Save Our Hospital Services committee will meet shortly to finesse plans for the final phase of this battle.  It is still not too late for Dermot Ahern and Mark Dearey to save the services at the hospital.  They owe it to the people of the town to fight to save the hospital .  One simple way would be to tell their respective parties that the people of Dundalk need proper hospital services and if they do not get them Minister Ahern and Senator Dearey should no longer support the government."