SDLP Newry & Armagh MLA Justin McNulty has described health service inequalities in Newry as “completely unacceptable.”
Mr. McNulty was responding to information from the Department of Health, which confirmed that just 23% of consultants working in the Southern Trust were employed at Daisy Hill Hospital.
Newry & Armagh MLA Justin McNulty said:
“This is a shocking demonstration of the clear health service inequalities that exist in our area. Newry & District GP Federation has the 2nd highest number of registered patients of anywhere in the North, and we have one of the fastest growing populations on the island of Ireland.
“Despite this, just 23% of the Southern Trust’s consultants are employed at Daisy Hill Hospital, with almost 8 in 10 employed at Craigavon. That is a shocking and unjustifiable inequality.
“The Southern Trust have repeatedly said that they are committed to Daisy Hill, that they want to see it succeed and that they are determined to boost the number of consultants and specialists at the hospital. To put it bluntly, the Trust need to put their money where their mouth is.
“I fully recognise the acute pressures on the health service, and we all accept the need to change how our health service is run. However, we can never lose sight of the fact that people in Newry, South Armagh, and South Down have a right to expect fair and equal access to health services.
“These inequalities need to be called out and addressed.”
ENDS
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