Merlin Park Hospital ‘mostly closed’ in two weeks’ time – consultants

Date Published: 12-Jul-2010

By Darragh McDonagh

Merlin Park Hospital is likely to be substantively closed in just two weeks time, according to top consultants at the facility.

Services are scheduled to cease at the hospital for a period of three weeks from the end of July as part of the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) cost-cutting Summer closure initiative.

However, medical professionals at Merlin Park believe that it is unlikely that the hospital will reopen at the end of the three-week recess and the facility will be substantively closed well in advance of early September as proposed.

“Last week we were told of proposals to discontinue essential acute and elective services from September this year but there is to be a three-week summer closure which is to begin in two weeks time, and I think it is unlikely that it will reopen again,” said Orthopaedic Consultant Mr William Curtin.

Mr Curtin rejected the contention of the HSE that the proposal constituted a reconfiguration which was designed to eliminate duplication of services between the city’s two hospitals and accused the executive of “blowing a lot of smoke”.

“It is not a reconfiguration of services,” he said. “They are closing it with no provision made elsewhere; that is closure, not reconfiguration. And these are not duplications because the services that we provide here are unique.

“The message that services will be transferred to University Hospital Galway (UHG) is wrong because that cannot happen. They have no facilities there for us.”

Member of the Regional Health Forum West Cllr Colm Keaveney said that he had seen a curtailment document describing the HSE’s plans to close theatres, stroke facilities and geriatric facilities at the hospital from the first week in September.

He said that the proposed cessation of services would result in the loss of up to 400 jobs, which would also have a devastating effect on the economy.

Read more in this week’s Connacht Sentinel