Donegal’s biggest medical union has sent a delegation to Dublin today in a bid to save the future funding and management of Letterkenny General Hospital.
Members of the IMPACT Trade Union will be in the Dáil to brief Donegal TDs and Senators about concerns on the future of the two North West General Hospitals – Letterkenny and Sligo.
The union has expressed its concerns ahead the much awaited “Higgins Report” named after Professor John Higgins, Chair of the Hospital Group Strategic Board, which is due to be published imminently.
Speaking ahead of the Oireachtas briefing, Richy Carrothers, IMPACT North West Assistant General Secretary said they will speak with politicians about their concerns arising out of the Higgins Report.
“All of the signs are that both Letterkenny and Sligo General Hospitals will join the already established Galway and Roscommon Group of Hospitals with the further addition of Mayo.
“In the event that this comes to pass the two North West Hospitals will simply be add-on’s to the structure that is already in place.
“The Galway and Roscommon Group have their own senior management structure, clinical structure and Board and we are concerned that the North West is simply being added for the purpose of convenience rather than making strategic sense”.
He added that IMPACT is concerned the two hospitals in the North West are being forced into a very large structure that may not be fit for purpose.
“Equally so, clinical decisions and priorities are likely to be made in Galway rather than at local level. Galway will to be the tertiary centre for care and possibly at the cost of Sligo and Letterkenny and may result in the two North West hospitals having to compete against each other.
“We are in the Dáil today with the view to establishing cross party support to protect our two excellent hospitals and the services they provide to the people of the North West,” he said.