Almost €4 million is needed to keep Carndonagh Community Hospital open and keep it in line with standards.
That’s what a very large crowd who turned up at the Colgan Hall in Carndonagh tonight for a rally to voice their protest at fears that the facility may close.
The public meeting, which was attended by up to 500 people, heard concerns about the hospital and the 30 patients currently there.
Dr John Madden last week raised concerns that the HSE had plans to close the unit like many other community hospitals around the country.
Deputy Joe McHugh said he did not think the hospital would close but it needed a major cash injection of €3.7 million over the next three years to meet HIQA standards.
There was much anger from the floor of the meeting from people who said they had relatives in the unit.
Many said that while hospitals such as Letterkenny served many patients, it was simply to far away for the people of Carn and surrounding areas.
They said the hospital was a vital step-down service for many patients of Letterkenny which would be otherwise even more burdened but for community hospitals.
Other public representatives at the meeting included Deputies Padraig MacLochlainn and Charlie McConalogue.
Carndonagh Community Hospital is the latest to feel the pressure over Government cuts with recent protests about Lifford Community Hospital also.
Picture by kind permission of Newspixirl.
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