Members of the Save Our Hospital Services Committee which is campaigning for the retention of Acute Medical Services at Louth County Hospital together with members of Dundalk Town Council met with Ministers Ahern and Harney, who were accompanied by a number of HSE officials,  in the Dáil yesterday evening, 2nd December 09.

The purpose of the meeting was to facilitate the Save Our Hospital Services Committee and a number of Town Councillors to ask the Ministers not to proceed with their plan to remove acute medical services from the Louth County Hospital.

Deputy Arthur Morgan, chair of the Committee said following the meeting :-

"Unfortunately and tragically for the people of Dundalk and surrounding areas the two government ministers insisted that their plan to remove our essential services from the hospital would continue.  They tried to wash their hands of the matter."

"The meeting generated into a further discussion on the government Transformation Plan.  The Ministers confirmed that our Accident and Emergency and Intensive Care Unit would be replaced by a Minor Injuries Unit and Ambulatory Care.  We find this is not acceptable and we told them so.  We pointed out that a town the size of Dundalk with it's population and catchments area of 100,000 need and are entitled to proper acute medical services.

Committee Spokesperson, Anita McCann, said :-

"We came away disappointed by what we heard from the Ministers but determined to carry on the fight on behalf of the people of Dundalk to save our essential hospital services and will be meeting soon to plan the next steps in our campaign."

For further comment contact Arthur Morgan at 087-8334113 or Anita McCann at 086-2590453

Deputy Arthur Morgan chair of Save Our Hospital Services Committee has confirmed that Minister Dermot Ahern has finally come back to the Committee regarding meeting with him and Health Minister, Mary Harney in an effort to save the services at the Louth County Hospital.

Deputy Morgan says

"The meeting is to be held in the Dáil this Wednesday, the 2nd December, at 6.30pm.  The members of the Committee and Dundalk Town Councillors will be making a huge effort at this meeting to safeguard the essential medical services for the town and catchments area.  However, I think it is important to point out that the real decision  about the future of our hospital services has already been made at cabinet level.  What we will be looking for is a commitment from Ministers Ahern and Harney that they will go back to cabinet and they will insist that they overturn their cruel decision to deny the people of Dundalk and surrounding areas a proper health service."

"A Minor Injuries Unit is no substitute for proper Accident and Emergency!

A so-called step-down bed is no substitute for an Intensive Care Unit!

We will be insisting on the retention of all services currently at the Louth."

"I would like the public to be clear that while this meeting with Dermot Ahern and Mary Harney is taking place this Wednesday evening the government plan remains in place to remove our services in the next month.  So people need to remain vigilant and keep up the pressure on all elected representatives in the final phase of the battle to Save the Louth."

"It is now over a week since a request was made to Dermot Ahern for a meeting with the committee and Dundalk Town Councillors with no response to date.  Yet we had to listen to him campaigning for a replay in the soccer dispute in the name of 'fair play'.

"There is a matter of 'fair play' to be sorted in Dundalk in relation to the acute medical services, accident and emergency and intensive care unit which is also a matter of 'life and death'.

"Dermot is in the media regularly telling us about the wonderful work he does on behalf of the hospital yet he hasn't made any move to agree to a meeting for a full week.  He must know how urgent this matter is.  Surely he understood the message from the people of the town and surrounding areas at the square last Thursday week, when in the dead of winter they turned out in their thousands and thousands in support of acute services at the Louth."

"I call on Dermot Ahearn to 'get the finger out' and agree to meet to maximise the battle to retain our essential hospital services."

Arthur Morgan TD chair of Save Our Hospital Committee wishes to thank all those who helped make last Thursday night’s Torchlight March to Save Services at the Louth Hospital a massive success.

Arthur Morgan said:

”Again the people of Dundalk and surrounding areas have demonstrated that they will not accept the removal of services from Louth County Hospital.  The people have spoken and the decision makers must listen.

“If the plan to move services to Our Lady of Lourdes goes ahead they know that the hospital will not close its doors.  It will still be there but it will be an out-patient clinic and band-aid station.  This is not what the people need or want and they have shown they will not accept the plan to remove Acute Medical, ICU and 24 hour Accident and Emergency.

“The campaign to Save the Services at the Louth will continue with a massive mandate from the people of Dundalk and surrounding areas.  We believe the decision to remove our services can and should be rescinded by Government.

“In conjunction with Dundalk Town Councillors the Committee will be seeking a series of urgent meetings with local Minister Dermot Ahern, Health Minister Mary Harney  and Prof Brendan Drumm from the HSE.  These meetings will be to tell the decision makers what the people demand.  Other events will also be organised and we will be keeping the public informed through the media and our website www.louthhospital.com

We urge everyone to continue to lobby all elected representatives by writing, phoning, emailing as we believe the pressure will help the campaign.

“The Committee would like to thank again all those who made the Torchlight March such a success especially the business people of the town who provided the services such as sound and lighting, banners, high visibility vests etc.  Also thanks to Jim Johnson who provided music before the Rally and Jim Corr who addressed the Rally.  We congratulate the stewards who together with the members of the Gardai ensured the safety of the thousands who marched from the 5 assembly points.

“We thank the local media for promoting the campaign and look forward to working closely with them over the coming weeks.  Finally, we thank the thousands who turned out to support the campaign to save our services and those who joined us at the Square on the internet and local radio.  It is heartening to know that the people of Dundalk and surrounding areas and indeed further afield support the campaign to save and retain services at the Louth."