The Surgical Ward in Monaghan General Hospital has discharged its last patient and closed its doors under the direction of the Health Service Executive. From now on, all surgical cases must go to Cavan, Drogheda, or Dublin, or to whatever hospital a bed or trolley can be found. This means that the future of Monaghan as an acute hospital is fragile as without surgical cover the Treatment Room and Acute/Emergency Medicine cannot be sustained. Cavan cannot cope with the existing demands, Drogheda cannot cope at the moment, Dublin hospitals are overcrowded - 20,000 surgical procedures were cancelled last year mostly because there is a shortage of beds, and yet the HSE closes a further 26 in Monaghan. PEOPLE WILL DIE BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT RECEIVE HOSPITAL TREATMENT IN TIME. The Irish Government has been elected and are being well paid to look after the interests and welfare of the citizens of this state. It is their responsibility to ensure that all citizens are treated equally. This is not happening in Monaghan. They are still ultimately responsible and we call on the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health to take responsibility for putting the lives of the people of Monaghan at high risk, and ultimately they must take responsibility for any deaths that will result due to their inaction. Please help to put services back in Monaghan to meet the basic needs of the people in their emergencies. Ensure that proper staffing levels are established and let the expert medical people that we have in Monaghan do the job they were trained to do. The theatre is there, the beds are there, the expertise is there. The only thing that is really missing is the government