A CAPACITY crowd packed the Fowler Hall in Fahan on Monday night to lend their support to having the local Public Health Nursing (PHN) service restored after it was removed without warning in the past fortnight.
Newly elected councillors Joy Beard of 100% Redress, Fionan Bradley FF and re-elected Cllrs Paul Canning FF and Jack Murray SF were joined by local Sinn Féin TD Padraig MacLochlainn.
Local women Jackie Molloy-O’Neill and Carmel Lynch explained how they had heard rumours back as far as March but had been assured by the HSE that the Fahan nurse service was not under threat.
Deputy MacLochlainn said he had been assured by the HSE also that there was to be no change.
However, without warning the small health centre at the Inch Road closed and the files and equipment were all removed without any local notification.
Signs erected by the campaigners to save the services at the centre, were removed by the HSE, the meeting was told.
Following a query from the Donegal News on Tuesday the HSE responded yesterday saying the service was not closing.
“There are no plans to move the Public Health Nursing (PHN) service from Fahan Health Centre and PHN services continue to be provided from the centre. The PHN works out of Fahan Health Centre from Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm. Given that community health nursing is predominately a domiciliary service, the nurse will not always be available at the health centre. Appointments are scheduled in advance for the nurse depending on the patient’s needs.
“The PHN service will continue to have a nurse providing a service to all in Fahan and the surrounding areas,” they stated.
The large attendance at the meeting in Fahan on Monday night to save the nurse service.
In an impassioned plea at Monday’s meeting Jackie Molloy-O’Neill spoke of the value of the local nurse service, particularly, the reassurance that if called first thing in the morning, she was able to tell her parents whom she had cared for, the nurse will be in later to address whatever the problem might be.
“Now you have to ring a number which tells you you will get a response within 24 hours. If you try to get a doctor’s appointment for someone you are caring for, it is almost impossible doctors are so busy. This Fahan nurse service is there since the 1930s and it means so much to so many people and the carers who work under the direction of the nurse,” she said.
She added that to the best of her knowledge patients from the Inch Island area had their files removed to Muff while those from the Fahan area had their files removed to Buncrana, without being notified.
A young mother told how she had a stay in hospital after her third child was born. The daily visit of the local nurse was a great help to her husband who was looking after a new born a two young children.
The TD and all four councillors pledged to support the campaign to have the nurse service in Fahan reinstated as soon as possible.
A local committee was formed to work with the public representatives.
Attendees at the meeting repeatedly asked who made the decision to close the health centre and why were local people told it was not closing when they obviously knew that was their plans.
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