Save Navan Hospital Campaign to Significantly Ramp Up Protest Over A&E Threat

Save Navan Hospital Campaign to Significantly Ramp Up Protest Over A&E Threat - Tóibín

The Save Navan Hospital Campaign met last night in Navan to discuss the next steps in the campaign to save Our Lady’s Hospital Navan A&E from closure. Cathaoirleach of the Campaign Peadar Tóibín TD stated.

“The atmosphere at the meeting was defiant. The people of Meath are up for the battle to save the most important health infrastructure in the county. Each of the 220,000 people who live in Meath will need it at some stage of their lives. The contect of this is A&E capacity is already hammered with the worst wait times in history and with the Mater and Cavan Hospitals just in the last week telling patients not present to their A&Es. This is a matter of life and death and we will not accept closure”.

“The meeting made a number of key decisions. Firstly we demand that the Terms of Reference of the Review into Reconfiguration include a cost benefit analysis into what investment is necessary for Navan A&E to continue functioning in a safe manner into the future. That this option is not being even considered is a disgrace and again contradicts the words of Government TDs in the Dáil. We will also seek to carry out our own professional independent Feasibility Study into this objective to show the HSE it can be done”.

“We also demand community participation in the Review Group to ensure that the needs of the community are reflected in the Review. Real meaningful engagement by community stakeholders was promised by the Minister for Health in the Dáil in the Review and it has not happened ”.

“We seek to deliver 15,000 petition names to the Minister for Health this Friday to demand the protection of and investment in Navan A&E into the future. We will seek legal advice into the potential for an injunction to be taken against closure of our A&E”.

“We will march on the HSE offices on Friday September the 16th at 1pm. We will consider placing a picket on HSE Head Office in the future. We are also reaching out to other Hospital Campaign Groups and Patient advocacy groups in an effort to develop a National Day of Action on the worsening Health Service crisis in Ireland”.

CRÍOCH

The Irish political system is radically broken

In Ireland the vast majority of elected representatives put a finger in the air to check which way the political wind is blowing. They have one eye on their leaders – seeking brownie points – and another eye keeping their seat safe. If elected reps shut up and do as they’re told, they are promoted; if they stand up for what they believe in, they are demoted. No wonder we have the political class we have. No wonder one point one billion euro is being buried in a hole under the National Children’s Hospital and that Stormont is in stalemate.

Throughout Ireland, many people are now afraid to say what they feel, many are afraid to respectfully engage on a range of different topics. Many feel there is a new censorship and a new political correctness in Ireland, that opposition to the establishment is being deleted.

Respectful opposition is not the enemy. Respectful opposition is a critical element of a functional democracy. Aontú will have the backbone to stand up, without fear, for you.