April 2004
Hanly Report on Hospital Reform.
Martin Farren has called on public representatives, including Ministers,
James McDaid and Mary Coughlan to state publicly what their views
are in relation to the 'far reaching' proposals for the provision
of medical services in the county due to be implemented following
the governments adoption of the recommendations of the Hanly Report
on Hospital reform.
"At a time when the North Western Health Board is being abolished
and decision making apparatus is going to be shifted to the West
of Ireland, possibly Galway, the silence is deafening at the moment
from our local representatives."
Mr Farren added that Sligo General Hospital is proposed to take
over from Letterkenny in the provision of new specialist services
and this, in his view, has serious implications for everyone living
in the north east and north west of Donegal, especially Inishowen.
Mr Farren questioned the wisdom of locating new services in Sligo
when Letterkenny General Hospital had more admissions and serviced
a wider area than Sligo General.
At the eleventh hour the Minister for Health, Michael Martin has
now decided to let councillors sit on consultative panels. These
will be talking shops, in my opinion. We are now going to be governed
from afar and one has to ask whether our deputies and ministers
are happy with this. I realise Jim McDaid has his eyes fixed on
Europe, but surely he along with our other public representatives
should let us know what they think of the Hanly Report."
Mr Farren went on to state that the implications of the report
at local level in Inishowen were worrying when upgraded facilities
are required for Carndonagh Hospital and funds need to be required
for future development of services in Inishowen.
The Fine Gael local election candidate believes an ambulance service
for Buncrana or upgraded Now Doc facilities in the peninsula are
now further away because decisions on whether they go ahead will
now be made in another county.
"Donegal is geographically remote but at least we had a Health
Board which has an understanding of local problems. Now we run the
risk of loosing vital services especially if funding goes to Sligo
instead of Letterkenny.
Back
|
