NOBODY in Inishowen
should be more than one hour’s travel time from A&E
if ambulance cover and road conditions are optimum.
That’s according to Sinn Donegal North East
representative, Cllr. Padraig MacLochlainn, who
helped launch the party’s national priorities for
hospital services this week.
"Providing emergency medical services presents one
of the greatest challenges to any healthcare system.
These services are needed to make fast and
appropriate responses to life threatening
situations. They therefore need to be accessible,”
said Cllr. MacLochlainn.
"However the continued concentration of hospital
services around Dublin, combined with inadequate
investment elsewhere, has left many communities
isolated from critical life-saving services,” he
added.
In the first half of last year, 1137 appointments at
Letterkenny General Hospital were cancelled due to
the beds shortage at the Hospital, according to the
SF document.
When it should not have exceeded 85%, bed occupancy
at Letterkenny Hospital was at 105% throughout 2005.
To help give optimum ambulance cover, Sinn Fein says
an air ambulance fleet should be incorporated into
the health service.
The party is also seeking an all-Ireland national
health service and regional cancer care with a
satellite radiotherapy unit for the North West in
Donegal.
Cllr. MacLochlainn explained: "Operating two
separate healthcare systems for such a small
population on an island with few urban centres, and
served by poor transport infrastructure, has led to
inefficiencies of scale, needless duplication of
some services and difficulties in access to services
- particularly for people living in rural border
areas.” |
