Protests continue as Roscommon emergency department closes

Protests continued this week as the HSE pushed ahead with plans to close the emergency department at Roscommon County Hospital on Monday. The emergency department has been replaced with a minor injuries unit, which has been dubbed an 'urgent care centre' by the HSE, causing some confusion as only non-emergency cases will be treated at the unit from now on. As hundreds of people protested outside the hospital on Monday, the issue dominated the national agenda with both Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore becoming embroiled in the controversy with pre-election interviews with both politicians emerging where they promised to retain services at the hospital. The Taoiseach has said he will not apologise and had simply enunciated Fine Gael policy as it was at the time, saying his commitment on Roscommon County Hospital had been given in good faith, but since then HIQA had warned about patient safety at the hospital. The Fine Gael party is reeling locally after TD Denis Naughten was expelled from the party last week when he voted against the Government on the issue. Two councillors in the county, Laurence Fallon and Dominic Connolly, both of whom are based in central Roscommon, resigned from Fine Gael on Monday when the planned downgrading of the hospital went ahead. It looks increasingly unlikely, though, that their South Roscommon counterparts John Naughten and Ollie Moore will follow their lead, with Cllr Moore saying he had no intention of resigning from the party and Cllr Naughten saying this week he had yet to make a decision. However, local Fianna Fáil councillor John Keogh has called on the remaining councillors to resign from the party. Monksland-based Keogh commended Deputy Denis Naughten for standing firm with the people of Roscommon and said the remaining Roscommon councillors should leave the party. The urgent care centre, which has been operating since Monday, treats adults only who present with non-emergency conditions and will be open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week. For the first four weeks a non-consultant or junior hospital doctor supervised by a consultant will be on site between 8pm and 8am seven days a week. Anyone needing emergency treatment will now have to go to emergency departments in Portiuncula, Ballinalsoe; University College Hospital Galway; Sligo General Hospital or Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar or call an ambulance. The Roscommon Hospital Action Committee plans to continue its protest over the removal of services from the hospital and will hold a protest on the day of the Connacht Final - this Sunday, July 17, in Roscommon town. The committee is asking people to line the footpath on the Athlone Road from Casey's roundabout to the Hyde centre on both sides of the road and is asking people to bring their white crosses. The protest will start at 11.30am and continue up to the time of the senior match between Roscommon and Mayo, which Taoiseach Enda Kenny is expected to attend, but since Wednesday, it has emerged he will not now be present.