MINISTER FOR Health James Reilly will attempt to soothe Fine Gael backbencher fears over the future of local hospitals at a special meeting of the party this afternoon.
The Minister has convened the meeting amid bitter public controversy over the closure of the emergency unit in Roscommon County Hospital and charges of duplicity against the Taoiseach on the issue.
There will be further pressure exerted on Dr Reilly today to honour another pre-election pledge – to restore specific surgical services to Navan hospital.
Dr Reilly is due to meet with consultants from the hospital and representatives of the Save Navan Hospital Campaign group.
Keyhole and other types of surgery were withdrawn from the hospital by the Health Service Executive last August and September amid what it termed safety concerns. It ordered a review of two clusters of cases in which it claimed poor clinical outcomes were identified.
At a rally in Navan last October, attended by about 10,000 people, Dr Reilly pledged to restore withdrawn surgical services. He told the gathering the Royal College of Surgeons had no complaints about elective surgery at the hospital. “So why close it down? Where will all those patients go? We need to dismantle the HSE and put in a fair system,” he said.
Peadar Toibín, a Sinn Féin TD for Meath West and chairman of the Save Navan Hospital Campaign, said he understood the review carried out by the executive was completed some time ago and found no issue with restoring surgery to the hospital but this still hadn’t happened. He said Dr Reilly will also be asked for assurances that 24-hour emergency services will be retained in Navan, one of the smaller hospitals targeted for downgrading like Roscommon.
He also said Fine Gael TDs had committed before the election to a new regional hospital in Navan.
The executive said last night the decision to restrict surgical services at Navan was predicated solely on ensuring a safe service. It said it had “just received” the independent review of cases of laparoscopic surgery at the hospital. The review group was chaired by consultant surgeon JW Rodney Peyton. “The report is now being considered by the HSE in keeping with due process,” it said.
The Dáil erupted into a major row yesterday as Opposition leaders accused Mr Kenny, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and Dr Reilly of deceiving voters prior to the general election.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin told the Taoiseach he had been “caught out” by the recording of an election promise, which he later denied having given, to keep open the Roscommon emergency department.
Mr Kenny replied that, unlike Fianna Fáil, his party would “face the tough questions and make the tough decisions”.
The Fine Gael policy position he enunciated in Roscommon last February was “given in good faith” and based on the information available at the time. However, when the Health Information and Quality Authority found that patients were at risk, the decision was made to “redesign and restructure” services at Roscommon.
Anxieties in Fine Gael were reflected by Cork East backbencher Tom Barry, who said the emergency department in his local Mallow hospital should remain open.