The ‘Save Our Services’ Executive met with the Minister for Health, Simon Harris, in Letterkenny yesterday and gave a stern warning: ‘If the HSE want a private hospital then go build it but not at our three hospitals expense.”
The SOS Group aims to safeguard the future of Lifford (above), Ramelton and Stranorlar community hospitals.
The HSE confirmed earlier this year that there will be no future funding for three Donegal hospitals until the new hospital is built in Letterkenny by 2021.
The SOS group is strongly opposed to these plans and outlined their concerns to the Minister yesterday in a 40-minute meeting at Letterkenny University Hospital.
The group presented the Minister with a 17-page discussion document.
“The Minister did agree that it didn’t make sense to close these facilities for a new one to be built,” SOS said in a statement.
“The Minister also said that he has asked the HSE for a plan to be presented to him and this should be available to him early in the New Year.
“SOS expressed dismay that no funding was available nor would any new HIQA requirements be able to be complied with and this was a ploy by the HSE.
“Minister Harris said that HIQA guidance is under his remit and that there is no intention for this to change.
“We said that there was no funding for our hospitals up to the year 2021 and this was not good enough.
“We asked that he ensures that budgets for the hospitals are developed and increased and that he must stand by the people of this rural county.”
During his visit to LUH, Minister Harris met with a number of local groups, the first of which he sat down with was SOS.
The Minister, in an interview at LUH, said that the 2017 budget would be the largest and has vowed to drive down waiting times for patients.
SOS said in their statement: “We stressed that our hospitals have the capacity and space to add whatever the HSE requires without having to build a new campus and importantly their numbers don’t stack up to back what they are suggesting.
“We said we would oppose a new facility at all avenues and that it was privatising health care.
“We outlined the geographical nature of the county and that our hospitals cover a larger region than a new unit could ever hope to cope with especially as we see the University Hospital cannot cope at present.”
The Minister informed the group that he has instructed the HSE to examine the capacity levels at all of its hospitals and a follow-up meeting with SOS could happen in January.
SOS said: “We have space and empty beds and we need staff for them, which the Minister is happy to investigate.
“The Executive are cautiously positive after the meeting saying that we want the HSE to start being honest with the people and if the Minister for Health can facilitate this then great.
“We feel that we are being listened to and that we are making inroads with the campaign which is finally having an impact.
“We felt the meeting was very positive and we would hope to continue this positive engagement. We have a balanced approach in the campaign and we will continue to foster this. The HSE would like us to go away, but we are in this for the long haul and we will see who the people back when the time comes.
“We are continuing with plans for 2017, which we are working on to maintain what we have and will go all out to get this for our people. The meeting gives us hope that we what we are doing is correct path at the moment. The message is relatively clear, if the HSE want a private hospital then go build it but not at our three hospitals expense.”
