Thousands of people attended the ‘Light for Lives’ rally to save the Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise last night.
The rally was organised by the Portlaoise Hospital Action committee following a leaked report of Dr Susan O’Reilly’s plan for the Midlands Regional Hospital.
Among those in attendance were Laois TDs Seán Fleming, Brian Stanley and the Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan.
Fianna Fáil TD Sean Fleming said, “This plan has to be rejected. What kind of hospital would it be if all them (the services) were gone out of it? It would only be a glorified health centre. We won’t stand for that.”
“It needs to be a 24 hour service. Nothing less.”
Deputy Fleming added, “The middle-management of the HSE spent their time trying to close it instead of trying to improve it.”
Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley highlighted the importance of the rally.
He said, “This time it’s not jsut the A&E unit they want to take out of Portlaoise hospital, this time they want to take Pediatrics and they want to take maternity. We need to say, ‘Stop, no more’.”
He accused Dr Susan O’Reilly of ‘fake facts’.
“I had a meeting with Susan O’Reilly eight days ago in Dublin about the future of the hospital. She had the population was 80,000-I had to remind her that the catchment area was 220,000. She wasn’t aware of that apparently,” said Deputy Stanley.
He added, “She also said that the Golden Hour (the first hour after a traumatic injury) doesn’t matter. Have you ever heard such rubbish? We need to stop the madness.”
Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan also addressed the crowds in what he called, “The largest public demonstration in Portlaoise in over 100 years.”
He said, “I will look you in the eye and I will continue to do my upmost to perserve and maintain an improve services at the Regional Hospital in Portlaoise because our lives matter.
He added that the proposed plan doesn’t have the support of Dáil Éireann.
He then invited his two parliamentary colleagues to join him in meeting Minister Simon Harris to discuss the Midlands Regional Hospital.
The three elected representatives are expected to meet Minister for Health Simon Harris in the coming days.
