Ms Arlene Fitzsimons, Operations Manager at NEDOC, confirmed that “one option” is being explored in talks with the HSE.
However, she could not state when a move to a new treatment centre as a short-term solution would take place.
The proposed primary care centre (PCC) in Navan is due to house the OOH treatment centre, but the PCC will not be completed until 2022.
NEDOC’s treatment centre in Navan is housed in a portacabin that opened 18 years ago on the grounds of Our Lady’s Hospital. It has visible mould on surfaces and holes in its structure but is still having to be used by GPs and patients.
Ms Fitzsimons described the centre’s condition as “appalling” and added that “it provides no dignity or respect for patients and the staff who work there”.
“It is a long, slow and tortuous process in trying to identify a place,” she stated.
“I hope a solution can be found well before Christmas but I just can’t say at this point when a solution will be found.”
She said the proposed PCC is “still a greenfield site” and noted that planning permission for the centre had yet to be lodged.
Approximately 20,000 patients pass through the Navan treatment centre annually and demand continues to rise, added Ms Fitzsimons.
Several GPs providing care to patients at the centre have publicly criticised its state of disrepair and highlighted the mould on the walls.
Meanwhile, the NEDOC AGM is due to take place next month.
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