Save the Mid!

derry | rights, freedoms and repression | press release

Wednesday May 26, 2010 12:58

by STM - Save Mid Ulster Hospital Action Group

Protests against the closure of A+E on Monday (24th) are spurring a campaign to rescind this deadly decision.

See below some footage of the Public Event held in Magherafelt on 24th May 2010.
Many Thanks to Johnny Hudson for posting this video on YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sypMU2-gnBk

In response to some peoples concerns relating to this Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=123505471009758&ref=ts & the set up of the 'Save The Mid Ulster Hospital Action Group' we would like to put people minds at ease and confirm that neither this page nor the group itself will be allowed to become a platform for any political agenda, the only agenda here is to SAVE the Mid ULster Hospital!

We are simply a group of ordinary people with the best interests of the residents of The Mid Ulster Area at heart. We will not allow the Facebook Page or Group to be hijacked by any political or party agenda and I don't believe that is happening. When the chips are down and two of us are lying on trolleys in the corridors of Antrim A&E it will have little significance what party we may have aligned ourselves with at that point.

Hugh announced at last night's meeting that NO MLA's, Councillors, or politicians would be accepted onto the committee itself but we need the members of EVERY party within MID ULSTER to support us.

We may not want the politicians on the committee, although we DO need their support but that does not mean we do not want the people, ordinary people like you and me! We NEED everyone to support this Group and with any further action we take in trying to have the decision to close the Mid Ulster Hospitals A&E overturned immediately.

EVERYONE regardless of political opinion, religion, colour or creed. We want to thank EVERY LAST person who has supported any action taken over the past week from the bottom of our hearts. We need you all & a lot more besides to make Mr McGimpsey sit up & take notice that MID ULSTER SAYS NO TO THE CLOSURE OF THE MID ULSTER HOSPITAL! FULL STOP!

We thank and appreciate the members of all the political parties who were there last night and who have supported this cause passionately over the past week, DUP, Socialist, Sinn Fein, SDLP, Indepenents & even the UUP, they may not have sent an MLA but ordinary people of The Mid Ulster Area who voted for them in the last election have been at all the rally's to date and we appreciate that fact.

We are not political activists or nut cases, we are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, grandparents and grandchildren concerned - no - fearful for the lives and well-being of our families and we NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

Teresa McKenna

Mob: 07787167048
E-mail: teresa@strideonproductions.com

Hugh McCloy

Mob: 07871503189
E-mail: hughmccloy@googlemail.com

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Does Mid Ulster have Human Rights & Equality?

Wed May 26, 2010 18:43

Mr Nelson McCausland was featured on every television and radio station this morning on what he called a 'Human Rights & Equality Issue' regarding his call to have among other things, inclusion of 'Ulster-Scots and Creation' within The Ulster Museum.

People of the Mid Ulster Area are living in fear for their lives and especially that of their children after Mr Michael McGimpsey brought the axe down on The Mid Ulster Hospital leaving 700sq miles of Northern Ireland and 95,000 residents without A&E provision or care for under 5's at Mid Ulster Hospital. Residents of the Mid Ulster Area in some cases can expect a journey time now estimated at approx 'One Hour' to reach the already over-stretched Antrim Area Hospital and the horror stories coming from that hospital in the past week are just shocking to say the least.

In an example emergency situation an under 5 with suspected meningitis could have received life saving treatment at Mid Ulster Hospital only one week ago but now their parents are being forced to travel one hour to Antrim Area Hospital like second class citizens which is just NOT ACCEPTABLE! Will it take the death of a child before someone stands up here and says enough is enough? Mr McGimpsey can sit in his office and shuffle papers all day long, quote figures and look sympathetic but the fact of the matter is the emergency cover in Mid Ulster is just not adequate for anyone, especially children under 5 and the residents are clearly being discriminated against, which cannot be accepted.

Residents of the Mid Ulster Area are seeing Mr McGimpsey's move as nothing less than clear discrimination against a rural area outside of the 'Golden Circle' of Belfast services. People are asking 'Do the people of Mid Ulster have equality of opportunity for health care? I think not. The depth of feeling among the people is just disbelief as they feel they have been discriminated against by their Health Minister, let down and left to fend for themselves by their elected representatives and neglected by the press as the facts of the true impact and scale of what Mr McGimspey and his henchmen have done to Mid Ulster is just not making the headlines they deserve?

Still today almost four days on from the snap closure of the Mid Ulster A&E, signage is still directing people to a service which just does not exist. Mr McGimpsey's office are clearly and legally in breach of their own 'Public Safety Laws' and people would ask, 'If anyone has died as a direct result of delays in medical intervention due to this misleading signage can the 'Minister' himself and 'The Northern Health Trust' have criminal charges brought against them for manslaughter and will they indeed be prosecuted for this clear failure in 'Public Safety'?

Just Not Good Enough!

Below you will see the map of A&E provision for Northern Ireland. Is it just me or can anyone else see a BIG gaping hole in the middle of that map apart for Lough Neagh.

At their further points No5 New Enniskillen Hospital to No7 Causeway Hospital Coleraine is 77.6 Miles & is estimated journey time is 2 Hours 11mins. No6 Altnagelvin Hospital to No8 Craigavon Area Hospital is 66.2 Miles & estimated journey time is 1Hour 43 mins. No6 Altnagelvin Hospital to No3 Antrim Area Hospital is 53.7 Miles & estimated journey time is 1Hour 9mins.

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