As the implications of the Hanly report on reorganising hospital services hit home yesterday, a Fianna Fáil TD suggested that the main hospital in the south-east which is now located in Waterford should be relocated to his own constituency of Carlow/Kilkenny.
Mr M J Nolan said Waterford Regional Hospital was "geographically in the wrong place" and it was time for the South Eastern Health Board to move it to Kilkenny.
"I think now is the time to take a bold decision - move the hospital, the regional hospital, with its centre of excellence from Waterford which is on the margins of the area and bring it to Kilkenny where it is centrally located," he said.
His comments on Beat 102-103, sparked a swift response from party colleague in Waterford Senator Brendan Kenneally. "Most of the specialities that are referred to are already in Waterford Regional Hospital. The infrastructure is there, the medical staff are there, and they are not going to close that down and if you like recreate Waterford Regional Hospital in Kilkenny. That's just not going to happen."
The Hanly report proposed there be just one major hospital in each region with 350,000 people. If applied to the south-east, it could result in some services being lost in Kilkenny.
Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil councillors in Clare criticised the Hanly plan which will result in full A&E services being withdrawn from Ennis General Hospital, leaving it with a minor injury unit. Mr Michael Hillary, a councillor in Milltownmalbay, said people in Clare were shocked by the proposal and they would "fight tooth and nail" to retain the service.
The Irish Nurses' Organisation said nurses working on the front line in the mid-west were extremely apprehensive about how the A&E changes could be implemented without negatively affecting patient care.
Mr Frank O'Malley, SIPTU representative for ambulance personnel in the mid-west, said it was unthinkable passing out Ennis hospital to get to A&E services in Limerick, perhaps after already travelling 40 miles from west Clare with a patient.
In a separate development an alliance of doctors working in smaller hospitals across the State will hold a series of regional meetings in coming weeks in an attempt to mobilise support against plans to reduce A&E services at local hospitals.
Founder of the Local Acute Hospital Alliance, Dr Liam Twomey, an Independent TD for Wexford, said the move would be opposed unless there was a commitment by Government to replace what was withdrawn with a safe, quality service.