The North Eastern Health Board has been criticised for limiting the number of patients who can receive dialysis treatment at Cavan General Hospital. The local branch of the Irish Kidney Association, which raised the funds for the unit, says that patients are being forced to travel to Dublin three times a week.
Ms Mairead McMeel, of the Cavan-Monaghan branch of the IKA, said the group had raised more than £200,000 two years ago and bought seven dialysis machines. The NEHB, she said, was now putting a cap on the number of patients that might be treated in the unit.
A man from Longford now had to make a 200-mile round trip to Dublin three times a week because he was not accepted at Cavan General, she said.
"It was the people of Cavan-Monaghan who raised the money for that unit in 12 months. It is very bad now that they want to put a cap on the numbers treated and people have to travel to Dublin. This is exactly why we raised the money. We do not believe the unit is operating to its capacity level," said Ms McMeel.
A spokeswoman for the NEHB insisted the unit was operating to capacity. The case of the patient currently travelling to Dublin for treatment was a top priority, she said. The unit had a capacity to treat 18 people, who were receiving dialysis regularly. "However, in view of the exceptional hardship of the nature of this case, every effort is being made to arrange to provide treatment for this patient in the very near future," she said.
According to a report to the board members earlier this year, the unit was treating 25 patients regularly each week.