Some 5,000 turn out to support Mullingar Hospital

An estimated five thousand people crammed into the centre of Mullingar on Saturday last, to warn the Government and the HSE not to downgrade or close the Midland Regional Hospital at Mullingar (MRHM) as part of a forthcoming review. The protest, which started at the gates of the hospital on Saturday afternoon and continued to a podium near the town's Market Square, ran for about an hour and fifteen minutes. Organised by the Labour Party and later endorsed by politicians of all colours, the march drew support from a plethora of community organisations in both Westmeath and Longford. Mullingar Chamber of Commerce, Westmeath GAA, local ICA and IFA branches, sports clubs, local healthcare fundraising groups, as well as patients, families and friends of staff at the hospital, and other organisations, groups and individuals turned out in force. However, in the wake of the protest march, the HSE has moved to stress that "there are no current plans to remove services at their Regional Hospital". Instead, it pointed to the significant amount of investment in services there in recent years. The march left the Longford Road gate of the hospital shortly after 2pm, and proceeded to the centre of the town via Harbour Street and Castle Street, with hundreds more protestors joining along the way. Seven speakers - Willie Penrose TD (Labour), Peter Kelly TD (Fianna Fáil), Senator Nicky McFadden (Fine Gael), Una Flynn (Westmeath ICA), Tom Farrell (Westmeath GAA), Lorraine Monaghan (the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation) and local doctor, Liam Dalton - were introduced to the crowd by MC, Noel O'Farrell, with each speaking briefly on behalf of their organisation. Deputy Kelly, the only Government-aligned politician present on the podium, encountered boos and jeers from a sometimes hostile crowd, as he vowed to put pressure on the HSE to "recognise that Mullingar is the Midlands' number one hospital". Senator McFadden condemned what she saw as an attempt to denude Mullingar of hospital services in favour of Taoiseach Brian Cowen's home town of Tullamore - a sentiment later echoed by Dr. Liam Dalton. INMO representative Lorraine Monaghan said that staff at the hospital were concerned over "loud whispers" about the fate of Mullingar Hospital. She said that they are under "severe pressure" due to the recent reduction of 41 acute beds, and that in recent years, patient waiting lists had increased by a shocking 1,576 percent. "The people sitting behind desks are so far removed from reality," Ms. Monaghan told the crowd. "Saving money is all that matters to the Government." Westmeath GAA chairman Tom Farrell cited a recent on-the-field accident involving a local footballer - and his subsequent treatment at MRHM - as evidence of how important a role the hospital plays in the sporting and community life of the county. Una Flynn, a leading member of the Mullingar Guild of the Irish Countrywomen's Association in Westmeath, quoted the title of the late John Healy's book on the death of rural communities in Ireland during the 1950s and 1960s: "No One Shouted Stop". "Well we in ICA are here today to shout stop to Minister Mary Harney," she said. Deputy Willie Penrose gave the protesters a rundown of MRHM's performance record, and said that the protest would send "a clear and unequivocal message" that there must be no "covert or overt" reduction in services at the hospital. He called for services to be not only left in place, but extended, and for the hospital to be rewarded for its performance with budget increases. Despite the size of Saturday's protest and the level of public fear, the HSE insists that it has "no plans" to either downgrade or close Mullingar Hospital. But concerns are mounting over the fact that top Government politicians have not gone on the record with a clear commitment to the future of the facility, and locals are expected to demand answers from Minister Harney when she visits Mullingar on Monday next. Meanwhile, a HSE statement said: "The HSE is aware of the shortage of Junior Doctors (NCHDs) that exists in some parts of the country and of the anticipated increase in this shortage that may occur in some areas from 1st July. "Clinical Management at the Midland Regional Hospital at Mullingar is confident that there is sufficient capacity in the cohort of NCHDs that have been recruited to maintain hospital services for the next six months." "Nationally the HSE is working to address the issue in conjunction with the Department of Health and Children, the Medical Council, the training bodies and medical recruitment agencies. While every effort is being made to fill NCHD vacancies, each post must be filled by a doctor who possesses the competencies necessary to provide a safe service to patients. The HSE's priority is to maintain patient services through this period."