FOLLOWING on from last month’s National Day of Action at Letterkenny University Hospital a meeting will take place at Dillons Hotel on Thursday, February 16 at 7:30pm.
All are welcome on the night, especially representatives of staff, patients and public representatives to help plan the next steps for the Hospital Campaign.
Chairperson of the campaign Mary T. Sweeney said she wishes to acknowledge the tremendous support received at the recent protest which highlighted the chronic overcrowding at LUH Emergency Department and current pressures on all the hospital staff.
“At the Day of Action we invited people to put their names down with a view towards extending and creating a more diverse committee.
“We received over 180 names from across the county which is extremely encouraging.
“I’m hoping for a strong turnout. I’m calling on all who braved the icy weather at the Action Day to take the next step and get involved in a hands-on manner and join the campaign to highlight the hospital services the people of Donegal both need and deserve. If you care, please be there,” she said.
The lack of a Minor Injuries Clinic in the county is of particular concern. Ms Sweeney said although they welcome the recent announcement, in the wake of the Day of Action rally, of a new community x-ray facility in the Errigal Chronic Disease Management Hub, she said it does not go far enough.
“Our initial focus will be to establish a Minor Injuries Clinic, a crucial service located on the St Conal Campus. This would drastically alleviate not only the unprecedented pressure on the Emergency Department in Letterkenny University Hospital, but also ease demands on GP surgeries,” she said.
With eleven Minor Injury Clinics across the country the nearest one to Donegal is in Monaghan.
Ms Sweeney said once again, the people of Donegal are being discriminated against.
“We desperately need such a service in place here in Letterkenny and potentially an expansion of services in the Carndonagh, Dungloe and Killybegs HSE facilities,” she said.
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