MEATH COUNTY Council says it will try and ensure the planning process for the new northeast hospital for Navan "goes through [ the council] as quickly as possible".
Councillors in Meath welcomed the recommendation that the 750- bed €650 million hospital be located in Navan. They also united in criticising Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern, who said that there was not a "red cent" in the exchequer to build it.
Another Louth deputy, Fergus O'Dowd (Fine Gael), was also accused of portraying Meath as a "Third World county" when he said there was no motorway or rail line to Navan.
Meath County Council chairman Nick Killian (FF) said: "I am disappointed by the remarks made by Minister Dermot Ahern and Deputy O'Dowd.
"If the shoe was on the other foot, the 'red cent' would not have been mentioned."
The hospital is to be a centre of excellence for the northeast counties of Louth, Meath, Cavan and Monaghan and expected to open by 2015. It is estimated that it will create about 2,500 jobs.
The county council made a submission to consultants The Health Partnership recommending a number of possible sites around Navan. Meath county manager Tom Dowling said the selection of Navan reflected the town's "status and importance as a prime residential and business location".