Nenagh Hospital Protest
Posted by Alan Kelly on February 21, 2009 at 11:36 PM
On Saturday (Feb 21st), we had a very successful protest march in favour of maintaining the services in our local hospital.
I was particularly delighted to welcome Labour leader Eamon Gilmore to the march and rally. Also present was our health spokesperson Jan O'Sullivan and a large Labour presence as usual.
The rally went excellently and a short video of the proceedings can be seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2EECART6G0
As spokesperson for the Nenagh Hospital Action Group, I told the large gathering that we will be continuing our protest until we get guarantees that these cutbacks will not take place. Our future actions include a joint campaign with our colleagues in the Clare Action Group to let the people of Limerick know that their hospital service is going to be hugely affected when they have to take on the additional work from Nenagh and Ennis.
Below is text from my speech at the rally:
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Friends, I'm delighted to see such a crowd here today and I'd personally like to thank you for your support.
Why are we here again today to fight for our local hospital.
We were fighting in the 70s, my parents were on the streets in the 80s and the 90s and a few years ago, we were fighting Hanly
Here we are again because after years of behind the scenes scullduggery, the HSE have had to admit that they were planning to downgrade Nenagh Hospital and take away our A&E, Intensive Care and Surgery.
We're here because I got my hands on their report into this and I leaked it. I had to stop the HSE from cutting our services behind the scenes and raise the flag so we could fight again in 2009 and I'll tell Mary Harney, Fianna Fail and all the other Government supporters, we will still be here fighting next week, next month and next year or for however long it takes to get the message across - HANDS OFF OUR HOSPITAL
WE'LL KEEP FIGHTING UNTIL WE HAVE:
- A Gov and health body that will treat us with respect.
- A Gov and health body that will treat someone from Tipperary the same as someone from Dublin.
- A Gov that will look you and me in the eye and let us have our say in what is going on.
However that is not the HSE way. That is not the government's way
The only currency they deal in is....... LIES
LIES, DAMN LIES AND STATISTICS (that's what comes to mind when I think of these plans)
HERE ARE THE LIES
- We were told for years that wards would never close - now we know those were LIES.
- We were told for months and months that the HSE were not planning to downgrade Nenagh hospital - More LIES
- We were again told that the HSE will treat us the same is it will treat its patients in Dublin - Even More LIES.
- Ten years ago our current Taoiseach and then Minister for Health Brian Cowen as Health Minister told us he would build a psychiatric unit in Nenagh - That never came. UNFORGIVEABEL LIES
- Last year we were told that Borrisokane would get an elderly care centre - that's gone. LIES
- That the elderly care unit in our hospital would not be closed. BLATANT LIES
- And the CT Scanner would be up and running. LIES, LIES, LIES
HERE ARE THE DAMNED LIES (about our future service)
- That nothing will be moved from Nenagh until everything else is in place for Limerick - I drove by yesterday and I didn't see a new A&E wing spring up overnight! DAMED LIES
- That we will have a fleet of new ambulances and paramedics and that they will be able to get critically ill patients into Limerick quicker than Michael Schumacher! DAMED LIES
- That new primary care teams will be in place - we can't even keep the ones we are being promised! DAMED LIES
- That this Gov, while the economy is in tatters are going to find 370 million to implement this plan - and that they will find it as well for the regions in the country - do they think we are fools! DAMED LIES
- That there will be new wards, more consultants and more time for patients - you have to wait 11 hours as it is in Limerick! DAMED LIES
Put simply friends, a promise from this Gov or the HSE is worth about as much as a share in Anglo Irish Bank! Nothing!
Well they won't fool us anymore. Here are the Statistics - the Facts:
STATISTICS
- 96% of all patients that arrive in Nenagh Hospital are treated in Nenagh Hospital - FACT
- Nenagh Hospital has scored some of the highest scores in Ireland in certain medical disciplines - FACT
- Nenagh Hospital is one of the most efficient hospitals in Ireland and it costs much less to treat a patient there than in Limerick - FACT
They say they will take us to Limerick because the hospital there will be what they call 'centre of excellence'.
- Well I am no medical professional but there is nothing excellent about a centre that doesn't exist.
- There is nothing excellent about doubling ambulance journeys and making the paramedics jobs impossible
- There is nothing excellent about having people travelling large distances to visit loved ones in Limerick.
- And there is definitely nothing excellent about a health plan that does not have the confidence of one single family doctor in North Tipperary.
Friends, We in North Tipperary are the Guinea Pigs for the HSE and their Policy of Centralisation
The HSE are just intent on ramming their backwards policy down our throats just like they did in the North East.
Drogheda hospital is supposedly the centre of excellence in the North East. Well they recently had to shut down A&E in Drogheda because of overcrowding in the A&E there.
And Now Nenagh is being asked to go down the same road. No Thanks.
That is a farce. That is lunacy and it would be a complete joke if it wasn't so serious.
Now the question will be asked and has been asked - what would the Labour party and I do differently?
Well let me spell this out clear once and for all. We would ensure that people living in rural areas were entitled to a health service close to them just as much as people living in Dublin, Cork or Limerick.
One where the consultant on his 260k a year travels the distance to meet the patient and not the other way around.
Friends and people of North Tipperary - a solution to this problem is workable!!
We need to make those fat cats in the HSE and this Gov listen to us.
The attack on our local regional hospitals is underway - not just in Nenagh, but in Ennis, Mallow, Monaghan, Bantry and even Tralee. We have to support these towns in their fight and show solidarity against this dictatorial regime they call the HSE.
BUT IT STARTS HERE IN NENAGH, THE PREMIER COUNTY. WELL YOU KNOW I WON'T LET YOU DOWN AND I KNOW YOU WON'T LET ME DOWN SO LET'S CONTINUR THE FIGHT.
AND I HAVE NEWS FOR HARNEY AND FF. YOU PICKED THE WRONG COUNTY TO HAVE THAT FIGHT WITH!
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