Fears are growing this week that Westmeath might lose its Accident and Emergency (A&E ) unit in Mullingar after HSE chief, Professor Brendan Drumm admitted during a visit to the hospital last week that the Midlands hasn't got the population to sustain three such units.
However, he did point out that no decisions would be made on the thorny subject within the next year or 18 months.
Pointing out that it cost nearly €100,000 a night in overtime alone to keep all three A&E units open in Mullingar, Tullamore and Portlaoise for what are “very small volumes of work” after 10pm, Professor Drumm intimated: “I'm not sure that can be sustained”.
