Republican News · Thursday 31 January 2002

Sinn Féin welcomes hospital proposals

Sinn Féin Health Minister Bairbre de Brún on Wednesday released details of a major plan for the restructuring of hospital facilities across the Six Counties. Among the plan's provisions is a new acute services hospital West of the Bann to be located in Enniskillen. There will now be a 12-week period of consultation on the proposals.

Sinn Féin Assembly Health Spokesperson John Kelly said that the proposals on the future of acute services go beyond the Hayes Report and represent a plan for the long overdue modernisation of hospital services in the Six Counties.

"Across the Six Counties we have witnessed the decline of service from acute hospitals," he said. "These proposals will reverse this trend. They will safeguard the long-term future of all of our hospitals - there will be no hospital closures.

"The proposals will also radically overhaul administrative structures.

"Access times for the vast majority of the population will be 45 minutes not the 'golden hour' suggested by Hayes. In assessing these proposals people will quite rightly focus on access and quality of service. It is essential that access times are minimised and that the service delivered is of a standard that people are entitled to.

"The two protected elective surgical units will help target waiting lists and the success of the two pilot midwife led maternity units will pave the way for the wider introduction of midwife led maternity services that can lead to a reduction in medical intervention in normal childbirth (our levels are currently the highest in Europe).

"The proposals will stabilise and significantly advance and improve service provision and access to services West of the Bann. There will be a new acute hospital, a protected elective surgical unit, an enhanced local hospital and a pilot midwife-led maternity unit.

"Locating one acute hospital West of the Bann will not of course redress the history of neglect of this region. The need to rebalance is acknowledged by the proposal to locate an enhanced local hospital West of the Bann. It is important that we use the 12-week consultation period to identify what services are required to tackle this deficit. The enhanced local hospital West of the Bann has the potential to address the local access to service deficit caused by the history of service reduction."

Gildernew supports decision

Fermanagh South Tyrone Sinn Féin MP Michelle Gildernew welcomed the proposals, which she said would "stabilise and significantly advance and improve service provision and access to services West of the Bann".

"While I recognise that some people West of the Bann will disagree with the locating of the new acute hospital in Enniskillen, I feel that it is the right choice to ensure that throughout the West of the Bann that everyone has the access to the services they are entitled to," said Gildernew.

Doherty backs Omagh

West Tyrone Sinn Féin MP Pat Doherty said that everything is still to play for in terms of Omagh hospital despite the recommendation to locate the new build hospital in Enniskillen.

"The battle for the Omagh hospital is far from over," he said. "I would urge everyone involved in the campaign to come out fighting to ensure that when the ultimate decision is made at the end of the year it will be favourable to Omagh.

"While the analysis in the Report which firmly recognises the history of neglect West of the Bann is entirely correct, I passionately believe that the recommendation to locate the new acute hospital in Enniskillen as opposed to Omagh is completely wrong and that we have all the arguments to sustain and win our case. Omagh is the only logical option both on medical grounds and in terms of equality.

"We now have a 3-4 month consultation period in which to submit additional evidence to enable the Minister to reconsider her recommendation.

"I believe that the York Report, which makes Omagh the only logical and sustainable option, has not been accorded the status it merits in the Department's deliberations and I believe that the reports findings should form the central thrust of the offensive that is now required.

"Hospital services in Cavan and Sligo, thus far do not come into the equation. There is now a new government in the South. We need to establish clearly what plans, if any, there are for expanding the capacity and levels of Services in the South, and in these two hospitals in particular, and to re-examine today‚s proposals in the context of further All-Ireland development.

"There will be those who will seek to make political capital out of this issue but I would appeal to everyone who is genuinely interested in the Tyrone County Campaign to keep their nerve and continue to pursue with this campaign with the same vigour and unity of purpose that has characterised the campaign to date."