All complex surgery is being moved away from Portlaoise hospital and emergency department hours are being reduced to a daytime-only service.
Complex surgeries are being transferred to St James' Hospital in Dublin or to the Midlands Regional Hospital, Tullamore.
In a statement, the HSE said that the volumes of complex surgeries at Portlaoise are too low to maintain the required expertise of clinical staff.
It follows a damning report into Portlaoise Hospital by the health watchdog HIQA, which said it couldn't conclude that services at the hospital were safe.
Juliette Gash reports;
