Newry SDLP Councillor Killian Feehan has welcomed Newry Mourne and Down District Council’s response to the Department of Health’s public consultation on hospital reconfiguration.
Councillor Feehan has criticised the Department of Health’s failure to engage with the local community regarding proposed changes to the status of Daisy Hill Hospital.
SDLP Councillor Killian Feehan said:
“In February, the SDLP called for the Council to submit a formal response to the Department of Health’s hospital reconfiguration consultation, making it clear that we reject the proposal to downgrade Daisy Hill to a General Hospital. We also called on the Department of Health to hold a public meeting in Newry to let local people have their say on hospital reconfiguration proposals.
“It is unfortunate that the Department of Health failed to properly engage with people in Newry on their proposals. It created a feeling that people were not being heard, or worse, that the Department of Health had no real interest in listening to what local people had to say.
“I welcome the consultation response submitted by Council on behalf of local people, and I am reassured that our Council has taken the stance it has. The consultation response doesn’t just speak to the need to have an Area Hospital in Newry for the sake of having one. It speaks to the pronounced and demonstrable health need that we have in this town and across our district.
“The Department of Health has proposed that there should be five major Area Hospitals in the North. Every single one of them is either within 30 minutes of Belfast, or in Derry. In my view, these proposals aren’t very well thought out in terms of providing equal access to healthcare for people in all parts of the North.
“Our local area has one of the fastest growing population rates in the North, as well as some of the poorest health outcomes. Under the Department of Health’s proposals, we will be left with no Area Hospital, while at the same time, those in Belfast will be within 30 minutes of four Area Hospitals.
“Irrespective of the Department of Health’s failure to engage people in Newry, the SDLP has ensured that the views of local people have been heard through a strong consultation response by our local Council. The onus is now on the Department of Health to take heed, do the right thing, and guarantee equal access to health services for people in Newry, South Armagh, and South Down.”
ENDS
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