Sinn Féin TD for Cavan/Monaghan Matt Carthy has been informed that there are no proposals to provide CT and MRI scanning services at Monaghan Hospital. Deputy Carthy told the Northern Standard that, having raised the matter with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly TD, he this week received written confirmation from the RCSI Hospital Group stating that, “There are currently no plans to increase the number of MRI or CT scanners in Cavan and Monaghan Hospital.” “Currently there are two CT scanners and one MRI scanner at Cavan Hospital but neither service is available at Monaghan Hospital,” the Sinn Féin TD pointed out. Deputy Carthy described the delivery of such services as his “next objective” following the expansion of the Minor Injury Unit at the hospital this year.
“In 2023 we finally got the Minor Injury service at Monaghan hospital that all other similar sites have had for years,” he stated. “The MIU in Monaghan Hospital is now operating seven days a week with longer opening hours. This took far too long but is a welcome improvement. “The next step to developing services at the hospital must be the delivery of CT and MRI scanning services. “When I challenged the Fianna Fáil Health Minister Stephen Donnelly on the need for the scanners at Monaghan, he replied that there were currently no plans to do so. That is reflective of the longstanding approach by Fianna Fáil to Monaghan Hospital. “Fianna Fáil was the party that removed services from Monaghan, including emergency services, that had a devastating impact on larger hospitals in the region.
The new services that we have secured required pressure from the Opposition and local communities in Monaghan. “In the written response that I received this week, the RCSI Hospital Group said: ‘Cavan and Monaghan Hospital operate as a single hospital, with an integrated managerial and clinical governance system, care pathways and support functions. ‘Cavan and Monaghan Hospital currently have one MRI scanner and two CT scanners situated in Cavan General Hospital with clear referral pathways in place between hospital sites.
‘There are currently no plans to increase the number of MRI or CT scanners in Cavan and Monaghan Hospital.’ “This is not good enough. I will continue to press for the provision of CT and MRI scanners at Monaghan Hospital. “Our hospital needs to be restored and expanded one service at a time. This is the next step in that pursuit and I will be challenging the Government and HSE representatives at every opportunity throughout 2024.”
