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EMYVALE

Making Savings at Patients Expense.

The HSE has decided that they will reduce the Minor Injuries Unit opening hours at Monaghan General Hospital to office hours – 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. They are also intent on reducing the number of agency staff and locums used in Monaghan. This will mean further reduction in services like day-surgery, scopes and clinics. There is also a possibility that the Step-Down Unit and Rehab |Unit will have fewer beds as there will not be enough staff to cover the present allocation. – And all of this is to save money. How can we believe them when they say they are doing other things for patient safety when they then turn around and reduce services like this.

The reduction in hours in the MIU will have serious consequences for the people of Monaghan. Games, gatherings, festivals, competitions, functions and major sporting events are mainly happening when the MIU will be closed. When these things are going on there will be a greater demand for the services of the Unit but it will not be open. What will the organisers of these events do? Will they take the chance and carry on regardless? Will they have the Red Cross and Civil Defence on duty? Will they rely on volunteers with first-aid training? Will they kick up a stink to make sure the Unit does not close during those times? Will they wait until there is a disaster and then cry? Will they be happy enough to take the injured or sick person to Cavan or Drogheda and leave them sitting on a chair, or if lucky, lying on a trolley? Will they wait for 14 hours with them to ensure that they get treatment? Will they ensure that the patient has transport to get home if discharged after minor treatment.? These are the questions needing answers now before it is too late.

However there are alternatives – save money elsewhere, especially where it is being wasted. They pay two drivers at times for Doc-on-Call but there is only one doctor on duty. In one case they pay two drivers for Doc-on-Call when NO doctor is on duty. Is this not money wastage? Why have two drivers on duty at the same time to drive one doctor to an emergency call? Total waste but it is not being targeted, and there are many other similar ways that money could be saved without interfering with frontline services and without reducing the access to services for patients in Monaghan.