The HSE has announced that all acute and emergency surgery will cease at Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan with immediate effect.
The Emergency Department will remain open on a 24-hour basis.
However patients who present requiring surgery will be transferred to another hospital in the Dublin North-East region.
The HSE says it has taken the decision in the interests of providing high quality service to patients.
But Tony Fitzpatrick of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) says the decision effectively shuts down the hospital and puts over 200 nursing jobs on the line.
“We have grave concerns – we have over 200 nurses working within that hospital; working within the theatres, the emergency departments and the wards” he said.
“So this will have severe implications for the staff working there”.
“As well as there’s 3 full-time consultant surgeons working within that hospital (it) is an extremely busy centre for surgery and indeed for orthopedics”.
“This will have a drastic effect on that hospital” he added.
Read the full HSE statement here
