One of the main recommendations of a new report on the troubled Cavan General Hospital cannot be implemented, the North Eastern Health Board (NEHB) indicated yesterday.
The report from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), details of which were published in yesterday's Irish Times, described the hospital's surgery unit as in a "dysfunctional" state and said beds should immediately be ringfenced for surgery.
The amount of surgery carried out has been limited by lack of beds and other factors, and unless this situation was addressed the entire unit could be in jeopardy as surgeons would not be able to maintain their skills, the RCSI report said.
The college's president, Prof Niall O'Higgins, who inspected the hospital, said the situation was "somewhat hazardous".
The NEHB has responded to the RCSI and confirmed yesterday it had told the college it would protect surgical beds "as far as possible", but that they could not be ringfenced. A spokeswoman said this was because the health board had to take into account the clinical needs of other patients coming into the hospital.
A spokeswoman for the RCSI said it was up to the authorities to implement its report.
Sinn Féin's health spokesman, Mr Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, a TD for Cavan-Monaghan, said it was now up to the Minister for Health, Ms Harney, to intervene to ensure the RCSI's recommendations were acted on.
Dr Alan Finan, secretary of the hospital's medical board, said the surgery unit couldn't survive on locums. The unit has one permanent surgeon and three locums.