Seating sought for patients outside CGH

The council is to write to the HSE and management at Cavan General over the lack of seating in the grounds of the hospital.

Fine Gael’s Peter McVitty brought the matter to the fore at the September sitting of Cavan County Council, and once again raised the matter for discussion at the January meeting of Cavan-Belturbet Municipal District.

According to Cllr McVitty, the issue of no seating has been brought up with him by concerned patients on a number of occasions. He also had first hand experience as an inpatient at the hospital.

“Sometimes people going out for a bit of fresh air want a sit down,” he told the meeting.

However, at present patients have “no other option” but to stand or go off site near the front gate.

He understood if hospital management didn’t want people smoking near the front doors, but it was still important for people to have such amenities nearby.

He voiced his hope that the situation will be rectified soon, but noted that neither the HSE nor hospital management had replied to his earlier request.

Fianna Fáil’s Patricia Walsh supported the motion.

She said when the hospital was first built there was seating, but this had since been removed. She stated that the ‘Smoke Free Campus’ initiative was “not a law” also.

There was support too from Independent Brendan Fay and Áine Smith (FF).