Councillors have again called for an increase in the opening hours of the Minor Injury Unit at Monaghan General Hospital.
At an October County Council meeting, Sean Conlon passed a motion calling on Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to turn it into a 24/7 service.
However, the RCSI Hospital Group says "there are no plans to extend the operating hours".
In response to Councillor Conlon's motion, the County Council received a reply from Minister Stephen Donnelly's private secretary outlining the number of patients who have attended the unit since 2010.
While more than 8,000 attended in 2011, the average number of patients between 2012 and 2020 was just over 4,700.
Between January and September of this year, 4,026 people attended the Minor Injury Unit.
The correspondence noted that "The RCSI Hospital Group advises that there are no plans to extend the operating hours".
Councillor Seamus Coyle passed a motion calling on the Council to re-affirm its want to have the service on a 24/7 basis.
Meanwhile, Councillor Sean Conlon said he was hugely disappointed with the response.
He passed a motion calling for the Minor Injury Unit to operate for a minimum of 84 hours per week, which he says is the case for other regions with similar populations.
At present, it operates for 40 hours a week, between the hours of 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Paudge Connelly also called on local TDs to raise the issue in the Dáil.
