No need for new regional hospital in Navan area
Councillor Paul Bell has criticised those responsible for proposing the downgrading of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda as the De Facto Regional Hospital for the purpose of constructing a new Regional Hospital in Navan.
This proposal is contained in the Regional Special and Economic Strategy for the Eastern and Midlands Region which submissions were invited.
“I have taken the opportunity of making a submission confronting this position and not for the first time pointing to the fact that HSE has invested hugely in developing Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in recent year on its present site and on the Cross Lanes. I am deeply concerned that Meath County Council in its programme to develop Navan continue to pursue this objective having failed in a previous bid under the then Fianna Fail/ Green Government when Drogheda almost lost Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital under the dubious guise of a national health strategy to constructed nine centres of excellence throughout the country,’ said Bell .
“I have also pointed to the fact that lands exist in close proximity to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital which if need be can be acquired and developed for the future development of the existing Regional Hospital. What is also deeply concerning is the failure to recognise that should Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital lose its ability to act as the Regional Hospital for the North East the existing 2,000 plus workforce would be reduced and this would impact severely on our town and its future expansion into the Northern Environs.
‘I note that Drogheda Chamber of Commerce have also made a submission expressing concerns. I am also calling on all locally elected Oireachtas members to demonstrate an interest in this matter”.