The decision by members of the North Eastern Health Board to locate a regional breast treatment centre in Navan and not Drogheda - as recommended by the board's officials - was condemned yesterday by the NEHB's medical adviser, Dr Finbar Lennon, as "indulgence in local political battles".
At its meeting on Monday the board debated the plan for the symptomatic breast disease services for the region.
However, the board, by a margin of 10-8, with one abstention, passed an amendment that the unit be located in Our Lady's Hospital, Navan, and not Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda.
Dr Lennon said to locate it in Navan would be "unwise and perverse". He said the overwhelming advice of the relevant consultants and their professional colleagues was ignored.
He criticised board members, saying there was a political dimension to the decision and the professionals involved are entitled to expect more from them than "continual indulgence in local political battles that are far removed from healthcare delivery in the new millennium".
The board decided to consider the issue at its next meeting.