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MORE SERVICE DOWNGRADES at smaller regional hospitals may be on the way – but the measures have not yet been agreed by Government, according to Health Minister Dr James Reilly.
Minister Reilly told the Irish Medical News that plans to concentrate services at larger hospitals, which were set out last year, have not been signed off by the Fine Gael/Labour coalition. However, he added the measures are “being discussed at the moment”.
The proposals were made in last year’s Acute Medical Programme, which divides hospitals across the country into categories by size. Each category will have a number of services assigned to it, with the effect being that certain facilities are available in larger hospitals only.
Minister Reilly added that other changes to health services are “off the table” for the moment. “Some of them may come back on,” he said.
But other plans around reducing services in the smaller hospitals and reducing surgeries etc, that has not been agreed by me or signed off by me and won’t be until there’s been full and proper consultation with the staff and the clinical leads in this area to see what way we can get the best use out of our smaller county and regional hospitals.
The news comes amid further protests today over the closure of A&E facilities at Roscommon hospital, which has sparked anger among local residents.
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‘If there is a more stupid country on earth I want to see it’. The Country you come from Kjetil would be a good place to start!!!!
Why would Norway be a stupid country? Are you seriously telling me a people who sign away their sovereignty, freedom and laws to the EU, because politicians asked them to are intelligent Are you seriously telling me that a people who give a popularity rating of 66% to a leader who is destroying their life to appease his EU masters are intelligent? Please, you are the joke of world, stupid drunks
@Kjetil I totally agree with you the Irish are thick drunks, the joke of the world, the retard at the back of the class et al. They are full hypocrisy and not enough common sense they are stupid to sit on the arse and start complaining but not to force a referendum on all the cuts! Yes, also they not an independent country anymore as they signed that over to the eu long ago.
I agree with a lot of your sentiments Kjetil , but leave the slander out of it, after all remember it was Brian Boru who kicked yer arses out of Ireland way back, unfortunatly people have become apathetic , influenced by stupid TV programs like coronation street and american idol, the main stream news lie to them everyday but they dont seem to want to wake up to that fact , if i was from Norway , thats where i would be, i believe the top country in the world to live in for many years in a row now
Grow up Jason
Let the people of Roscommon pay for an a&e themselves if they want it so badly. The rest of the country would be paying for this needless facility if it were not closed.
How exactly is Roscommon A&E needless?! I personally know people who are alive because of live saving treatment there. Sorry if our lives here are unimportant to you. I really hope some day you’re not passing through and have a road traffic accident. Maybe then you might realise the pure idiocy of your heartless comment.
Cara it’s not your fault Roscommon is one of the least populated counties in Ireland. It just can’t justify having an a&e. I’m sure they wouldn’t have axed it if it wasn’t safe to do so.
Closing an A&E because of low population is a ridiculous reason. We pay our taxes, same as everyone else, yet from Monday there will be no A&E for 125km. Imagine what that is going to be like in the winter, with icy roads. It takes, on average, one hour and 20 mins to get to Galway city. If you’re suffering a stroke or heartattack, that’s leaving you out of the crucial first hour time period.
It has nothing to do with how populated the area is, Roscommon is one of the oldest counties in that the majority of people in the county are over 50 which means there is more likely to be a higher incident of heart attacks and strokes, both of which are conditions where the quicker you get to A&E means th difference between life and death. Considering the nearest hospitals are 45mins-1hr away, there is going to be a higher number of deaths in the county from heart attacks and strokes.
Efficient and HSE do not belong in the same sentence a lot of this is to do with political pull/ iternal HSE pull as to which hospitals will loose and maintain services. I would prefer this to be a lot more transparent so we can all see exactly how our tax money is being divvied up.
Saying something is ‘off the table’ but may come back on is a ridiculous statement. The evidence in favour of decent centralised medical care in larger more efficient hospitals speaks for itself. The Minister needs to be honest with the people and tell those living near small, poorly equipped and little used regional hospitals to expect A&E services and other services for serious medical conditions to be shut and transferred. Instead, we have a ridiculous situation where we are going exactly the same reaction as we did with Roscommon over and over again.
Stupid Stupid Stupid Stupid Irish people. You vote in every EU treaty, you give away all your power, freedom and sovereignty. You dont have a country anymore, you then are so dumb that you complain when your elected government destroy your lives. YOU VOTED FOR IT fools, the world is laughing at you. What country gives away its freedom and sovereignty and then complains when hospitals are closed. Expect a lot more closures you ignorant sheep
Whats even more funny is that your country votes in FG and a leader who is clearly a fool. Yet, although he closes your hospitals, schools and destroys the lives of ordinary people…he now has a popularity rating of 66% !!!!!! If there is a more stupid country on earth I want to see it
Gone home if you dislike it so much.
Why would I want to go home? I like the scenery, the people are thick
Perhaps the one you left?
Why would my country be stupid? Do you know any other country that faught for their freedom for 800 years but then freely voted to gave it away, you ignorant thick idiots
Hey Irish people, stop being so defensive. Kjetil is 100% right. We have nobody to blame but ourselves. We are incredibly stupid.
Our real problem is that we have NO balls. We’re like the geek at the ‘in crowd’ party, happy to be pushed around and walked all over but glad to be just allowed into the room.
Well done Kjetil for calling it like it is.
I think we secretly like being subjugated.
That bloody Ginger grey beard it’s like a piece of road kill stuck to his face .
Is this the childish asinine way you respond to criticism that does nothing but tell the truth?
We should be saying what Kjetil is saying rather than hurling personal abuse at the man
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