Roscommon County Hospital needs more investment, rather than any diminution of services, according to local Councillor Martin Connaughton. The Fianna Fáil councillor, who spent a lot of time in the hospital during an illness last year, this week completely rejected HSE proposals to downgrade services at the hospital and said that he, along with his fellow Fianna Fáil councillors on Roscommon County Council, are fully behind Deputy Michael Finneran on this serious issue. In a press statement to Roscommon People, he said: ‘I am one hundred percent in support of the hospital to remain as it is and not be downgraded on any shape or form. I hope that Michael Finneran and the new Taoiseach Brian Cowen will keep it right.’ He added: ‘I have seen first hand the great work done by the nurses at Roscommon County Hospital.’ He said that one thing which is a constant source of complaints to him is the length of time that people have to wait to be seen in Accident and Emergency. He recalled the case of a local farmer, who after falling from a height, had to wait six hours to be seen in Accident and Emergency, while his own son had to wait five and a half hours to be treated for a broken finger. ‘There needs to be changes to update that Accident and Emergency department. There is good work being done there, but there are people there waiting for x-rays and they shouldn’t be held up that long,’ said Cllr. Connaughton, who added that the population of the county is growing all the time and this will put even more pressure on the hospital in future. He added that he has brought the matter to the attention of hospital authorities on numerous occasions and concluded by pledging that he will work to ensure that the hospital, which is located in his electoral area, continues to serve the people of Roscommon.
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