A packed meeting of the Save Navan Hospital Campaign, in the Newgrange Hotel, on Wednesday night heard of plans to stage protest marches in Dublin to draw attention to HSE plans to close the A&E in Navan Hospital.
Campaign chairman, Meath West TD Peadar Toibín, revealed that the campaign organisers were seriously contemplating blocking the streets of the Capital in order to bring senior politicians attention to stopping the change in ambulance protocols.
He conceded he knew that bringing the campaign onto the streets of Dublin and blocking traffic would be a serious step to take but he said the hospital campaign was faced with a situation which had to be overturned.
Those in attendance were urged to contact HSE officials urgently about the planned changes and the work email addresses of senior officials were circulated at the meeting.
Sinn Fein TD Johnny Guirke, Fianna Fail Senator Shane Cassells and a number of councillors also addressed the gathering
The meeting also heard that simultaneous protests over the hospital issue would be held outside Our Lady’s Hospital Navan and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda at 1pm next Monday, when the new protocol will see ambulances with critically ill patients bypassing the Navan hospital and bringing them to the closest appropriate hospital.
