The son of a Hospital Action TD has said he believed the medical care he received at Monaghan General Hospital after a work accident at the weekend "definitely" prevented him from suffering worse injuries.
Mr Trevor Connolly (18), the son of Independent TD for Cavan/Monaghan, Mr Paudge Connolly, who was elected as a Hospital Action candidate, lost the tip off one finger and has a 50 per cent chance of losing the tip off a second finger after his left hand was caught in a forklift truck on Saturday afternoon.
Mr Paudge Connolly said the care his son received is proof that hospitals like Monaghan, Ennis and Nenagh are needed and "should not be downgraded but allowed to function as they are capable of doing.
"The correct clinical decision that was required for my son was made immediately by the junior doctor and nursing staff in Monaghan hospital. Because of their work he has a 50 per cent chance of not losing the tip off a second finger. I believe if he had been brought to another hospital and waiting on a trolley, that could be as low as 5 or 6 per cent."
Monaghan hospital was taken "off-call" 18 months ago and it no longer accepts patients dealt with by the ambulance service. They are instead taken by ambulance to other hospitals in the region, including those in Cavan and Drogheda.
Speaking from his bed in St James's Hospital, Dublin, Mr Trevor Connolly said the accident happened a few minutes' drive from Monaghan hospital. "I knew the hospital was very close and wanted to get there as fast as possible. I didn't want my mates to ring an ambulance, that would take time and I was in unreal pain and I said it was better to just go to the hospital in Monaghan."
There, he says, the staff gave him pain relief, put him on a drip and X-rayed his hand. He was immediately transferred to St James's. Mr Paudge Connolly said: "Hospitals like Monaghan, Ennis and Nenagh perform excellent work. The junior doctors there are excellent and they should be allowed to continue to provide the care they can."