Cllr Doherty
Sinn Féin Councillor and General Election Candidate Gary Doherty has spoken of his concern for the future of St Joseph’s, Lifford and Ramelton Community Hospitals following a response from Minister of State at the Department of Health, Kathleen Lynch, in which she fails to rule out bed closures or staffing reductions at the units as part of the Government’s Capital Programme for Nursing Home facilities announced last week.
Responding to a Dáil Question tabled by Sinn Féin’s Deputy Pearse Doherty in which the Minister was asked if the plans would result in a reduction to staffing levels and bed numbers at the three facilities, Minister Lynch responded to say that aside from last week’s Dáil Debate on the issue, no further information in relation to the hospitals was available at present.
Reacting to the Minister’s response, Cllr Doherty said: “Minister Lynch was asked quite clearly via Parliamentary Question this week if the programme of capital investment for nursing home facilities would mean any staffing reductions at St Joseph’s, Lifford or Ramelton Community Hospitals and the Minister, in essence, refused to rule this out in her reply.
“Instead, what the Minister said in what can only be described as her indifferent and disinterested response to the question, was that no further information was available at this stage in relation to the specific centres mentioned by Deputy Doherty other than that provided during last week’s Dáil Debate.
“What’s worrying here is that during that debate tabled by my colleague Deputy Pearse Doherty last week with the Health Minister, is that the Minister then said that he could give no ‘cast iron guarantees’ with regards to these hospitals and he also admitted that the future services provided by the three hospitals was yet to be ‘worked out’.
“What they have essentially revealed is that while they are planning to downgrade the hospitals in Lifford, Stranorlar and Ramelton and transfer long term residential nursing care to a new facility in Letterkenny, the government hasn’t even figured out or decided on what future services these units will offer to patients going forward.
“The plan at present then is that there is no plan for these units, and not only do we not know what the future holds for these hospitals, the staff and patients, but neither does this government – this is scandalous stuff.
“Last week I was contacted by relatives of patients, staff and concerned locals all of whom were asking the very questions which Deputy Doherty asked the Minister this week, and despite best efforts, we still are in the dark.
“The complete lack of concern shown by Fine Gael and Labour in relation to this issue is simply appalling, and what is clear is that they intend to keep tight lipped about this issue until the election is out of the way – the Government’s silence on this speaks volumes.
“Tonight a Public Meeting has been organised in Stranorlar in opposition to these plans and I would urge as many people as possible to attend and show their support for the retention of these community hospitals which have faithfully and proudly served the people of this county for generations.
“Also, I have started an online petition demanding that these hospitals have all current services maintained and I would invite and encourage everyone to sign it and show that we as a community will not stand for the down grading of these hospitals.”
Tags:
