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A Public Meeting is being held in support of Daisy Hill Hospital. The meeting is this Wednesday 8 November at 7pm in the Canal Court Hotel and the public are being asked to turn out in large numbers.
The event is organised by the SOS Daisy Hill Hospital campaign group with the purpose of discussing with the public ways to prevent any further stripping away of life saving services from Daisy Hill Hospital and how to return acute services already removed, such as the excellent stroke unit and emergency surgery.
A SOS Daisy Hill spokesperson said "At the end of the meeting we hope to have achieved a set of positive outcomes and to have received a mandate and consensus for a plan of action to save Daisyhill as an acute hospital.
"Politicians and health officials have been invited to inform the public about where they stand on the future of Daisyhill as a full acute hospital. We want to have an open frank discussion so the public can make an informed decision about how to proceed.
"The meeting is also an opportunity for the whole community to show their defiance to the Southern Heath Trust who totally dismissed over 12,000 responses to the recent consultation on the removal of emergency surgery from Daisyhill, the hundreds who attended the public meeting in the Canal Court Hotel and over 10.000 people who took part in the recent rally at Newry.
The spokesperson concluded "These decisions by the Southern Trust have not been thought through using the relevant data. How can patients expected to get timely treatment for a stroke if an ambulance is not on hand. Doctors inform us that people are going to have worse medical outcomes or God forbid, lose there life due to these decisions being made by the Trust and others behind the scenes."
No Trust attendance
On 27 October 2023 the committee received an email from the chief executive of the Southern Trust which confirmed they would not be sending representation to this weeks meeting.
SOS Daisy Hill wanted the Trust to update the local community on the recently approved proposals from the health board, which have been sent to the Deptartment of Health for final approval, proposals that include the permanent removal of emergency surgery from the hospital.
A SOS Daisy Hill spokesperson said :There is no rationale for the CEO of our local Trust not to attend a public meeting. These are public officials who are paid from the publc purse and they should be attending meetings with any community grouping who requests same.
Francis Gallagher chairman of the SOS Daisy Hill committee condemned the Trust for not agreeing to attend this weeks meeting. He has writtento the Trust CEO to ask her to reconsider her decision and attend the people’s public meeting and has also written to the permanent secretary to ask him to use his office to intervene.
