The Health Minister denies that the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise is being downgraded.
It was announced yesterday that all complex surgery is being moved and the Emergency Department will be scaled back.
Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Leo Varadkar said the changes are designed to make the hospital safer and more efficient. He also expects the hospital to become busier and "better than it is now as a hospital":
Complex surgeries at the hospital are being transferred to St James's Hospital in Dublin or to the Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore.
It follows a damning report into Portlaoise Hospital by the health watchdog, HIQA.
In a statement yesterday, the HSE said that the volumes of complex surgeries at Portlaoise are too low to maintain the required expertise of clinical staff.
"Complex surgery in MRHP will be transferred to St James's Hospital or Tullamore as the volumes are too low to maintain the requisite expertise of clinical staff," the statement says.
"This will result in the discontinuation of undifferentiated surgical cases that present at MRHP Emergency Department. There is a progressive complex planning process (with a lot of interdependencies) for surgery that will in the medium to longer-term will result in a reduction of ED opening hours (overnight)".
It adds that this planning process will be done with the engagement and input of relevant staff.
