Assembly candidate says message he is getting on doors is 'Our area is always the last to get and the first to lose'

SDLP Newry & Armagh Assembly Election Candidate Justin McNulty claims that the electorate's message when he calls on doors is that our area is always the last to get and the first to lose, with Daisy Hill Hospital on the losing end.

Mr McNulty has called for voters across Newry and Armagh and South Down to rally around Newry City’s hospital and ensure that Daisy Hill isn’t sold down the river in the name of reform.

Speaking after the BBC’s Mark Carruthers tackled SDLP leader Colum Eastwood about his party’s defence of Daisy Hill Hospital, Justin McNulty commented “The BBC and the Department of Health Press Office, both of whom seem to be reading off the same script, are once again attempting to parochialise Daisy Hill Hospital. They have described my campaign to reinstate emergency services at Daisy Hill as an example of “parish pump politics” which flies in the face of health service reform.

“Let me be clear – the removal of emergency surgery from Daisy Hill Hospital is not part of the Health Service Transformation Programme. It has been allowed to happen because of an abject failure in workforce planning at the Department of Health.

“The pandemic is not the source of all the problems plaguing the health service and handing over a blank cheque on health service reform will not solve those problems."

Mr McNulty continued “The message I am getting on the doors is resounding – our area is always the last to get and the first to lose. I have hope and ambition for the future of Daisy Hill. I want to see our hospital expanded to become a leading cross-border health hub. I want to see investment in cutting edge equipment, I want to see an expansion in our HDU capacity, and I want to see Daisy Hill become an elective surgery hub.

"Newry is a city. As such, we are entitled to a City Hospital. On Election Day, I am asking the people of Newry, South Armagh, and South Down to rally around Daisy Hill Hospital. This is an enormous opportunity for local people to raise their voice, stand their ground, and send a clear message: We will not sit on our hands and allow Daisy Hill to be dismantled.”