This article is from page 22 of the 2011-02-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 22 JPG
THE day before the Fine Gael party launched its health policy, party leader Enda Kenny was telling the people of Clare that while the party would cease the reconfiguration of hospital services, it was too late to undo what had already been done.
“It is very difficult to undo work in the medical area once it has happened. As I move around the country I am being asked by so many hospitals, ‘can you restore facilities that have been taken away here?’ and my honest answer is I can’t because people don’t believe a situation like that, but before a service is taken away, before medical facilities are removed that is that time to make a case and Fine Gael has been very clear about that,” he said in response to questions about the future of Ennis General Hospital. “We don’t want anything closed down unless it is demonstrated that there is something better in its place. This is clearly not the case here.
“Fine Gael is committed to retention of medical services here in Ennis and the suspension of the removal of the cardiac facilities. Obviously Fine Gael’s overall view in the longer term is to change the health system to one of universal health where hospitals should be run by local trusts.
“There is little point in proceeding with a process that is blatantly not working as the regional hospital is chock-a-block. Our view is that you should not close down something until you have something better in its place” he said.
Deputy Kenny said that once a patient gets into the system it works well, the problem is getting into the health system quickly.
He also denied allegations that universal health insurance would close a hospital like Ennis describing the suggestion as “absolute rubbish”.
Fine Gael candidate Cllr Tony Mulcahy said the leader gave a commitment to the candidates that the party would retain acute services at the hospital “in their current format”. That would mean the retention of cardiac services and the anaesthetists at that hospital that has already lost its 24-hour A&E service.