Save our Services - Summer 09'

Headline: Save our services
By: Michelle Crawley

Stand-first: The northwest is the victim of a blatant attack by the HSE to reduce essential services due to financial constraints. The general consensus of the people of the northwest is that Brendan Drumm has turned his back on the people of Manorhamilton, where he was born, and the people of Sligo, where he was raised, in a bid to save the bacon of greedy politicians, bankers and developers, who led us into a massive national debt.

According to the Irish Nursing Organisation, 300 – 400 locum nursing contracts are to be lost in the northwest alone, with a knock-on effect on the level of care provided to patients. On top of that, there have been significant reductions in home help and carer's hours. Elderly people who once had a daily visit from their helper, are now waiting up to a week to obtain aid with activities, including; getting into the shower. To be victimized in this manner is despicable. The more the HSE pull from the northwest, the more people it will affect and ultimately more lives will be lost.

Last week, it emerged that the Stroke services in Sligo General Hospital were the latest victim of 'budget' cuts with a loss of 16 beds and 22 jobs, 15 of which are nursing posts. Sligo/ Leitrim Éirígí activist Gerry Casey has described the announcement as “deplorable”. While the HSE issued a statement that the services will be relocated, according to Northwest Xtra sources, the beds will be put into existing wards and existing general staff will now have to add these patients to their work load. “Claims by the HSE that front-line services will not be effected by these job losses are complete rubbish. This is set to have major repercussions for people in need of vital services as well patient safety”, voiced Gerry Casey. As it stands, the liklihood of strokes leading to death is much higher in Ireland than in other European countries. Ireland's recovery programme is behind that of the EU average. This move will only disimprove stroke recovery rates in Ireland.

Members in Sligo General have seen the numbers of nurses and midwives diminish over recent months with non-covering of maternity and other such leave combined with the incremental reduction in numbers, leaving staff concerned about their ability to provide a service, safely at current levels. Hard pressed staff in Sligo General are trying to hold together a demand-led service with fewer resources.

On top of this attack, the imminent transfer of cancer services from Sligo General to UCHG (University College Hospital Galway) has been viewed as a uni-lateral decision despite the fact it was blatantly obvious that Sligo provides a great cancer service, with outcomes comparable to the best in the world and that adding the number of patients to UCHG would make it difficult for Galway staff to cope and retain a centre of excellence. Moreover, it is unfair to expect people to travel up to five hours a day to get fifteen minutes of radiation therapy.

Sligo General has not been the only victim of the HSE cuts, Our Lady's Hospital in Manorhamilton lost Endoscopy services since February 2009 and now rheumatology services have come to a halt. Names of patients on a waiting list for endoscopy services have been transferred onto a thousand strong waiting list for Sligo General. “The downgrading of services at Manorhamilton is clear evidence of an administration that has repeatedly shown a callous disregard for the health and well being of the people of this region”, stated Éirígí Activist Gerry Casey.

After the consultant rheumatologist resigned at Our Lady's Hospital, it was believed that interviews were to take place for a replacement, but months later, there has been no replacement made. According to Northwest Xtra's source, there has been a temporary replacement medical officer appointed but no consultant rheumatologist with expertise in rheumatology. The rheumatology service provided services to Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal. There are now serious grounds for concern regarding its future in the hospital.

County Leitrim has also seen the Bank House shut down earlier this year. The last of the furniture was taken out of the former psychiatric illness community home last week. A number of residents lived under supervision at the Bank House for over 12 years and were widely viewed as part and parcel of the community. According to Cllr Michael Colreavy, “they had an excellent quality of life”. The residents who made good friends and enjoyed living together have now been split up and put wherever there is space for them in neighbouring towns and counties. For the family and residents, there was little consultation in the matter.

While there is still local concern for the future of Sacred Heart Hospital in Roscommon, RCH (Roscommon County Hospital) has witnessed the transfer of the Dermatological clinic to Portiuncula, Ballinasloe, “in order to provide a more comprehensive service”. It begs the question, how could a patient be better off traveling 100 miles extra for a dermatological appointment? Late last year, in-patient surgery at RCH pulled and the 24/7 consultant surgeon and consultant anaesthetists were removed, reducing the service to day surgery only. “The HSE and their political masters appear more intent on implementing right wing policies of privatization and two tier health services rather than creating a first class health service available and accessible to all”, exclaimed Gerry Casey.

The situation in Mayo General Hospital is abysmal, ranking bottom of the Irish Hospitals League Table. As the worst performing hospital in the state, Mayo General Hospital requires urgent attention in patient access, integration and resources. Mayo also has lost its cancer services in the transfer to the 'centre of excellence' in Galway.

Health care in Donegal has been at the centre of controversy in recent weeks, after it emerged that the HSE failed to utilize a €3 million centre in Gweedore, providing kidney and heart patients dialysis treatment. The brand new and fully equipped Owenie Centre in Derrybeg has been lying idle for more than 18 months. The Dialysis machines have been lying in boxes while patients travel to Letterkenny, Derry and Omagh for dialysis. The cost to the HSE for using Northern Ireland services and paying for taxi fares to and from the hospital has been enormous, at over €3,000 per week. If this isn't bad enough, Letterkenny hospital lost two wards in November 2008, including a 12-bed orthopedic unit.

Since the start of 2009, it has become apparent that hospitals all over the northwest have been attacked by cuts, losing vital funds and staff, thus reducing their ability to give quality care and an adequate front-line service. In a press statement made by Health Minister Mary Harney in relation to hospital cuts, she stated: “Remember we are not in a situation where the budget is unlimited. Times are more difficult, the economic circumstances are such that there isn't as much money for health that some people would wish”. Health and well being of people must take priority and must not be made suffer to pay for the greed of those that have put our country into the situation it is in today.

A passionate Cllr Colreavy is calling for the HSE Board and Minister for Health Mary Harney to be disbanded. “Their focus is money, not health”, he claimed. “Mary Harney is essentially looking to privatize the health care in Ireland under the pretense of reforming it, but she is destroying the health services. The sooner the HSE board and Mary Harney are consigned to the books of history, it will be for the better of the health system”, stated Cllr Colreavy.