8 February 2001 Edition
Hospital victory for Louth and Monaghan
A special meeting of the North Eastern Health Board (NEHB) on Monday last voted to mandate its CEO to seek the appointment of consultant obstetricians and paediatricians to ensure that the maternity units in Dundalk and Monaghan Hospitals will not be closed.
Over 3,000 people had demonstarted in Dundalk on Saturday to potest the threatened loss of these vital services. ``It was a great victory for the people'', says Sinn Féin's Arthur Morgan, who chaired the rally.
42,000 signatures to a petition to save the maternity service had been gathered. There were powerful speeches at the meeting from the Hospital Group members, including independent councillors Martin Bell and Dr Mary Grehan, and from Una McKevitt, a mother of three who made an impassioned plea to the government not to let women down.
``The whole controversy over the Dundalk and Monaghan hospitals raises the central question of the apartheid system of health in this country, where those who can pay get quicker and better treatment than those who can't,'' says Morgan. ``It is time this system was made accountable to their patients and those who are sick and who cannot get treatment.
``The minister has told us that money is no object in this matter. We are happy to believe him and hope that now the threat to the services in Monaghan and Louth is lifted.''
Over 3,000 people had demonstarted in Dundalk on Saturday to potest the threatened loss of these vital services. ``It was a great victory for the people'', says Sinn Féin's Arthur Morgan, who chaired the rally.
42,000 signatures to a petition to save the maternity service had been gathered. There were powerful speeches at the meeting from the Hospital Group members, including independent councillors Martin Bell and Dr Mary Grehan, and from Una McKevitt, a mother of three who made an impassioned plea to the government not to let women down.
``The whole controversy over the Dundalk and Monaghan hospitals raises the central question of the apartheid system of health in this country, where those who can pay get quicker and better treatment than those who can't,'' says Morgan. ``It is time this system was made accountable to their patients and those who are sick and who cannot get treatment.
``The minister has told us that money is no object in this matter. We are happy to believe him and hope that now the threat to the services in Monaghan and Louth is lifted.''