MINISTER FOR Health Mary Harney is to meet a deputation this afternoon led by Independent South Kerry TD Jackie Healy-Rae and his son, Cllr Danny Healy-Rae, demanding a retention of health service facilities in Killarney.
There are fears for the future of Killarney Community Hospital and for the long-stay St Columbanus home for the elderly.
Senior Irish Nurses’ Organisation (INO) representatives are accompanying the politicians.
Mr Healy-Rae jnr, who topped the poll in the Killarney electoral area, last night said Ms Harney agreed to the meeting following representations from his father. Mr Healy-Rae snr let it be known recently that retention of health services, including maintaining Kerry General as an acute hospital, is a key to his continuing support for the Government.
Nurses have staged a series of work stoppages at the 39-bed Killarney Community Hospital to highlight their concerns about what they say is the downgrading of the facility. There has also been a public march.
Plans were announced in May for the hospital to be amalgamated with the nearby and much larger 150-bed St Columbanus home for the elderly.
The INO is seeking a reinstatement of the post of matron or nursing director at the community hospital.
The outgoing matron retired in May. The INO also wants guarantees on the future of St Columbanus hospital. Nurses fear long-term beds will be lost from it and that the status of the community hospital as a step-down facility will be eroded.
They suspect that, instead, the community facility will become a long-term or special needs home.
The INO has accused the Health Service Executive of undertaking the amalgamation without warning or any clinical or nursing evaluation.
“The only thing this hospital has in common with the 150-bed St Columbanus home for the elderly across the way is they are on two sides of the one road – the HSE are trying to say they are the same. This is the spin they are giving. There has been no engagement with us of a meaningful nature,” Sheila Dickson, president of the INO, said.
The HSE South has denied there are plans to close or downgrade the community hospital.