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Sinn Féin meets hospital managers
31.05.10
A SINN Féin delegation
has met with Letterkenny General Hospital management
to discuss issues including HSE budget cuts, local
cancer services and car parking.
Cllrs Pádraig MacLochlainn, Gerry McMonagle, and
Mick Quinn and Senator Pearse Doherty met with
hospital manager, Sean Murphy, director of nursing,
Anne Flood and director of porters and domestic
services, Peter Byrne.
Cllr Pádraig Mac Lochlainn explained: “Letterkenny
General Hospital is an immensely important part of
our community in Donegal. It is a good hospital with
top class staff across all departments.
"We are determined to fight for the protection and
indeed enhancement of existing services at our
general hospital and we welcome what was a frank and
constructive meeting with the hospital management.
It was clear to us that they share our commitment."
Cllr MacLochlainn said the Government’s focus on the
banks was resulting in cuts to vital services such
as health. |
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"These cuts and the
recruitment embargo affect the potential of
Letterkenny General Hospital to sustain the
standards the management and staff would strive
towards.
"The improvements in cancer services and cardiology
services in particular over recent years must be
sustained and built upon. Also the long-awaited new
A&E and new ward space overhead are to be commended.
But this is what the people of Donegal should expect
from a modern health service."
The Sinn Féin delegation said they were "very
concerned" that hospital management and staff were
being expected "to sustain the professional
standards required of a modern hospital while facing
cuts year on year".
"Something has to give. In recent times, that was
hip replacement operations and temporary closure of
day surgery. What will be next?” asked the
Buncrana-based councillor.
“We are also outraged at the impact of the
recruitment embargo on all departments in the
hospital. This is a crazy scenario. For example, the
hospital has established an excellent partnership
with Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT) on
training nurses to the required standard. Now those
locally trained and qualified nurses can’t be
hired!”
“Following the meeting, we are now going to monitor
this situation very closely and challenge Government
on their responsibilities. The people of Donegal
deserve a modern, efficient, and quality general
hospital at the heart of their community. We will
not, as locally elected representatives, accept
anything less on their behalf." |
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