MUCH anger remains locally in the wake of confirmation that the angiogram service is to be withdrawn from Letterkenny University Hospital in May.
A special meeting to discuss the future of cardiology services at LUH has been called for by Councillor Ciaran Brogan. He raised his concerns at this week’s committee meeting of the HSE’s Regional Health Forum in Castlebar.
The move comes after it emerged the state-of-the-art Siemens equipment, purchased at a cost of €750,000 from funds raised by the Friends of Letterkenny University Hospital for the cardiology department, is sitting idle.
The service is currently provided weekly by a mobile lab, but it is to be withdrawn in May, with fears it will be relocated to Sligo with people from Donegal expected to travel to avail of the service.
Special meeting
Cllr Brogan is calling for a special meeting with the Saolta Group, the HSE and the management of LUH as a matter of urgency. He said it is his understanding that the appointment of a cardiac technician is the solution to this problem.
“The people of Donegal and the Friends of Letterkenny University Hospital deserve to be treated much better than this. Clarity is needed around what cardiology services are planned for Letterkenny University Hospital when the current cardiology services are discontinued at the end of May.”
Cllr Brogan has also raised the matter with Minister Charlie McConalogue TD.
Fundraising
“He has assured me that he will be raising it with the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly. The Saolta Group and the management of Letterkenny University Hospital owe it to us as public representatives, the members of the Health Forum, the people of Donegal, and the hard-working members of the Friends of Letterkenny University Hospital to clarify this matter immediately,” said Cllr Brogan.
Meanwhile Cllr Gerry McMonagle said the move “flies in the face” of all the fundraising efforts of Friends of Letterkenny University Hospital. Cllr McMonagle, who is chairman of HSE Health Forum West, said he was not informed of the move. He contacted Manager of Letterkenny University Hospital, Sean Murphy and Tony Canavan, CEO of Saolta.
Speaking to the Donegal News yesterday, he said: “I just received an e-mail today that Tony Canavan will contact me directly.”
New NorthWest
Cllr McMonagle said he believed a “new north west” was being created.
“This flies in the face of all the fundraising by Friends of Letterkenny Hospital who fundraised for this service.
“They talk of a critical mass to Sligo, but we already have a critical mass in the north west with Donegal and Derry and the partnership we have with our cardiac and cancer services. It seems a new north west is being created with Sligo in the centre of it and that is just not correct.”
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