“Pressure Works!” – Carthy welcomes expansion of Monaghan Minor Injuries Unit
Sinn Féin TD, Matt Carthy, has welcomed confirmation he has received from the RCSI that the Minor Injuries Unit at Monaghan Hospital will have expanded opening hours from 1st November and will be operational from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday.
Deputy Carthy has demanded seven-day a week, long hours, services to be provided at the Minor Injuries Unit since his election to the Dáil in 2020. He said that the news of expanded hours is welcome but that the commitment to provide for weekend openings must be expedited. He also said that charges for use of the service must be abolished.
Teachta Carthy this week said:
“For too long the Minor Injuries Unit at Monaghan Hospital has been operating just 5 days a week from 9am to 5pm, by far the shortest opening hours of any MIU in the state.
“Since my election to the Dáil I have prioritised the expansion of this unit as a pivotal first step in the restoration and development of services at Monaghan Hospital. I welcome therefore the confirmation I have received from the RCSI that, from 1st November, the unit will be open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday. It is also expected that the service will expand further to allow for weekend openings next year. This shows once again that pressure works.
“I thank the Sinn Féin Health spokesperson, David Cullinane, for placing on the record of the Dáil a commitment on the part of Sinn Féin for the expansion of the Monaghan Minor Injuries Unit. This is in stark contrast to the Fianna Fáil Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, who has refused to engage at all on this issue, insisting that it is an operational matter.
“The truth is that Monaghan Hospital has never recovered from the scandalous decisions of previous Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments to remove services. Those decisions have led to the fierce ongoing pressures on Emergency departments in Drogheda and Cavan Hospitals. Coupled with the strain on GP services in the county it has led to many negative experiences for Monaghan people accessing healthcare.
“I have always stated that the expansion of the Minor Injuries Unit can be a crucial first step in the restoration and development of services at our hospital. I urge people from across Monaghan to use the Unit when required in order to build momentum in that regard.
“We in Sinn Féin will continue to press the government to abolish the charges for presentations at the MIU in order to relieve pressure further from our GP services and Emergency departments”.
ENDS
