Fine Gael has warned that Our Lady's Hospital in Navan is in real danger of being downgraded if it does not receive an urgent capital grant.
The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, visited the hospital yesterday with the party's by-election candidate, Mr Shane McEntee.
Mr Kenny said the hospital had received only €6.2 million in funding since 1999 "which in real terms is almost nothing. This works out at just €1.25 million a year, barely enough to keep the hospital ticking along, and not to cover the cost of ward upgrades and building services, new equipment, new wards or new theatres." Mr McEntee said the hospital had just 100 beds, trying to serve an immediate catchment area of 80,000 people and a rapidly-growing county population of 134,000.
"This means the hospital has one bed for every 1,300 people in Meath, compared to 1 for every 1,000 in Wexford and 1 for every 500 in neighbouring Monaghan."
He called for the immediate appointment of a third surgeon to prevent downgrading, an improved A&E unit and expanded medical services for children.
Also yesterday it emerged that Mr Kenny was involved in a dramatic road rescue when he pulled a woman from her mini-bus just before it slid down a steep embankment. The incident happened last Monday night between the towns of Ballinagare and Tulsk, in Co Roscommon.
Mr Kenny and his driver came across the mini-bus after it had crashed into a ditch, and found the unnamed woman inside.
The politician's driver flagged down traffic on the road, while Mr Kenny rescued the woman.
There were no other people in the bus at the time of the accident, and the woman is not though to have been seriously injured.
Gardaí in Roscommon confirmed that the incident had taken place. The identity of the woman has not been revealed, but it is believed she is from Co Roscommon. Mr Kenny had been returning home for a brief visit to Mayo.