Political pressure would not change Mr Finbar Lennon's plans for Monaghan Hospital, he said in an interview two months ago.
In an interview with the Medical Times, in October, the medical advisor on acute services to the North-Eastern Health Board said the battle being fought over the future of Monaghan Hospital was crucial for the future of the delivery health services across the State.
"The outcome of the Monaghan situation will have a very significant impact across services in the country", he said. The model being implemented in Cavan-Monaghan would be repeated in Louth-Meath, "in some shape or form".
"Monaghan will henceforth provide day surgical services and protocol driven five-day elective surgery. All acute surgery and all complex surgery will take place in Cavan," he said.
Commenting on resistance his plans were meeting from consultants in Cavan-Monaghan, Mr Lennon is reported to have said there was "no choice" on the matter. "In my view it is extremely important that they maintain that pressure and if they do then we can solve the problems, not just in Monaghan but throughout the region.
He said local political interests' bids to retain local hospital services were "not going to work"
"It has not worked in Monaghan despite the very high profile attention it has had in the media over the last four or five months. The health board management have held out and said we have to have these changes."
The NEHB has maintained the withdrawal of maternity services at Monaghan in July, came about following the withdrawal of insurance cover. However, commenting on a 1998 five-year plan for the region, Mr Lennon said: "At that time there were four hospitals delivering obstetric services and it did indicate the need for rationalisation there and that has been achieved in the sense that the Monaghan and Dundalk maternity units are closed."
He said all five hospitals in the region - at Dundalk, Drogheda, Navan, Cavan and Monaghan - were "going to have to change their current roles".
"There will be certain services that will be provided in only one or two hospitals and certain services that will be provided in all five hospitals," he said.
Despite a request to ask Mr Lennon about how he sees the future of acute services in the region, he was not available for comment yesterday, a spokeswoman for the Board said.
