A committee has been formed and a first meeting will be held next week to plan the next step in the battle to save Portlaoise Hospital.
Over 300 people attended a public meeting in the Midlands Park Hotel tonight called by the Hospital Action Group – and volunteers were asked to come forward afterwards to form part of a committee that would look at the possibility of organising a march on the Dáil.
About 30 people have put their name forward and meeting will be held in the Portlaoise Parish Centre next Tuesday at 8pm.
Local community activist Dick Sydes, who is now in his 80s and has been campaigning on various issues surrounding Portlaoise Hospital for 20 years, said there needs be 3 or 4,000 Laois people marching on the Dail some Wednesday. He called on people from all surrounding towns and villages to give their support to the campaign.
Peter O’Neill, who was the independent chairperson of the meeting, said “there is is an appetite for a march but if you go for a march you want 5000 people not 300 or 400. Very important that it’s planned right.
“Every party, every organisation, every sports club has to be behind it and march,” he added.
The meeting heard contributions from a wide range of speakers including TDs Sean Fleming and Brian Stanley. A statement was read out on behalf of Charlie Flanagan, who is currently in New Zealand on ministerial duty.
Dick Sydes and Tommy Timmons, two of the long-serving hospital activists also sat at the top table and addressed the crowd as did a number of county councillors as well as Monsignor John Byrne, Dr Gerald White and Dr Sean Fleming.
A selection of people also spoke from the floor, including doctors, nurses, retired consultant Peter Naughton and various individuals.
The meeting was called following a leaked report of Dr Susan O’Reilly’s report into the future of the hospital recommending the downgrading of the A&E services in Portlaoise. This report hasn’t been published yet and elected representatives were urged to put pressure on Minister for Health Simon Harris.
Among the fears are how other hospitals would handle the 40,000 annual cases presented to A&E and that if that service goes then others will follow.
Portlaoise’s central location and good rail and road network were the regulalry cited reasons for the retention of all services with numerous calls for the hospital to upgraded and not downgraded and for long-term certainty to be given on the issue to the hospital staff and the people of the area.
Read back our full live blog of the meeting in the Midlands Park Hotel
