The removal of two religious statues from wards at Gorey District Hospital in Gorey, Ireland, was because of health and safety concerns and infection control reasons, and not at a way of removing religious symbols from the hospital, according to an article on the Independant website.
The statues had been mounted on a shelf above beds.
When a visitor criticized the removal, a hospital spokesperson pointed out that the front garden of the 27-bed district hospital in Gorey features a prominent statue of Jesus.
He said that the statues were removed from the wards due to health and safety concerns about preventing falls, and for infection control, helping prevent the accumulation of dust.
"In each case, they had been mounted on shelves some nine feet above beds," he said.
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