Write a commentLocal politicians and groups are calling for a massive turn out at this Saturdays Save Daisy Hill Hospital Stroke services Rally. The rally will assemble at 12 noon on Saturday 28th at Marcus Square, Hill Street and will march up to the hospital.
Mayor Calls for Rally Support
Councillor Daire Hughes, Mayor of Newry and Mourne, has called for all the people of the area to turn out to show their support for their local hospital on Saturday.
He said “Whilst this campaign is focused on saving the excellent stroke unit, it is vital, for the future, that the Southern Trust and the Minister are shown the importance of Daisy Hill to the people of this area and that we will resist any attempts to reduce services. We must show our opposition to a centralised model of health care which is not appropriate for the rural nature of Northern Ireland.”
The Council’s Health Service Working Group which is leading the campaign, points out that it regularly discusses problems which have arisen for people accessing services in Craigavon or Belfast hospitals due to the distance, poor roads and lack of adequate transport provision. It believes that services at Daisy Hill must be retained and indeed enhanced to ensure the safety and health of the people of this area.
The Donaldson report into the Health Services in Northern Ireland, which is currently out for consultation, recommends drastic reductions to the numbers of acute hospitals in Northern Ireland with a level of service better suited to the more urban nature of England. Campaigners, therefore believe it is vital that the community stands up at this time in support of what is acknowledged to be an excellent hospital and a life saving service for us all.
Unite condemns reductions in services
Local trade Union Unite in the Community has also called on the people of Newry to come together on Saturday to call for the retention of the lifesaving stroke unit that is currently under threat.
Commenting a spokesperson said “This rally is an opportunity for the people of Newry to come together to show their opposition to the health ministers continued reduction in services at Daisy Hill Hospital. We need to show the health minister that we oppose his plans to remove the excellent stroke service from Daisy Hill and to make a statement for any future plans to further reduce services at Daisy Hill Hospital. We hope as many people as possible can attend."
"Services need protected and maintained" Brady
Also commenting Newry and Armagh MLA Mickey Brady has said that a report on some of the outstanding services offered in the Southern Trust area are proof that those services need protected and maintained, not stripped back.
Mr Brady, who is chair of the Assembly’s All Party Group on Chest, Heart and Stroke, was speaking after the group’s AGM on Wednesday morning.
“The medical subject of this morning’s AGM was Cardiac Rehabilitation and the highly respected Dr. Michael Knapton was the guest speaker,” he said.
“He was of the very strong opinion that the Southern Trust had the best record for this type of service not only in the north but probably in all of Ireland or Britain.
“I therefore think it’s crucial that the services we have here, especially ones of this standard, are supported and maintained, not stripped away or devalued.
“So with that in mind I would urge as many people as possible to come out on Saturday to the Support Daisy Hill march and show the Trust that we value these services, we need these services and we will defend them.”
Feely "Save Daisy Hill for ourselves, our children and for our children’s children for generations to come."
Councillor Frank Feely also released a statement
"In the Trusts own words they want to “maximize Daisy Hill’s role in supporting Craigavon Area Hospital” by closing the Stroke and Rehabilitation Unit in Daisy Hill. Newry is the 3rd most important city in Northern Ireland yet the Southern Trust want to destroy the Acute Unit and move it to Craigavon Hospital which is situated in the town of Portadown."
"Daisy Hill has always been an independent acute hospital in its own right set up by government to serve Newry and Mourne as well as parts of Banbridge, Armagh and Monaghan Council areas and well as parts of County Louth."
Councillor Frank Feely said in 2009/2010 the Southern Area Health Trust outlined 5 options:-
1: Do nothing (which they have been doing)
2: Do the minimum repairs (which would cost £32 million)
3: Redevelop the main ward and theatre blocks including accommodation (at a cost of £49.5 million)
4: Build a new hospital at Daisy Hill (which would cost £116 million)
5: Build a new hospital on a green field site which would cost a total of £139.5 million.
Cllr Feeley commented "A blind person would see that Option 5 was the obvious choice but not the Southern Board. Daisy Hill is in the wrong city so they went for Option 3 which would inflict the most danger to Daisy Hill Hospital by closing down the Stroke and Rehab Unit and putting a Paediatric Unit in its place on Level 6."
Additionally the Councillor said he finds it impossible to imagine the monumental ineptitude and stupidity of this this group of people at the Southern Trust who turned down the opportunity to build and equip a new hospital in Newry for £139.5 million without ever bringing it to the Newry and Mourne District Council, Newry Chamber of Trade and Commerce or any other authority in Newry and Mourne.
"To compound the matter further in November 2014 the same Trust announced that they were to build a new hospital on the site of Craigavon at a cost of £400 million of tax payers money plus £57.5 million for the next 3 years from 2015-2018."
"Saturday 28 March is a major opportunity for all of us to save Daisy Hill for ourselves, our children and for our children’s children for generations to come."
