Strategy for care in the north west is unworkable

Dear Editor
The campaign for Sligo’s cancer services is very concerned about the results issued recently by the Health Service Executive’s own new hospital rating system. By its own criteria, University College Hospital Galway came in the bottom four out of 29 hospitals. More worrying still is the fact that UCHG got a ‘red’ rating for both ‘Access’ and ‘Resources’.
Considering that ‘Access’ would include all of the services that are being moved from Sligo to Galway and that these are already in need of ‘urgent attention’ in Galway, it seems inconceivable that the HSE would force more patients to attend a hospital that, by its own standards, is sub-standard and in need of immediate attention.

As outlined by the HSE, the criteria of ‘Access’ includes diagnostics, planned procedures, outpatient clinics and therapies — all of the facilities for which cancer patients will be forced to travel to Galway.
This seems at best a contradiction, or at worst dishonesty on behalf of Prof Tom Keane, Mary Harney, Mary Coughlan and Jimmy Devins, all of which have spoken recently of ‘best practice’ and ‘best patient outcomes’ and how Galway will provide both. Surely it is time now for these same people to finally admit publicly what we all know, that UCHG is not capable of looking after its current patient load, let alone all the patients that will have to travel from the north west?
These figures, the Government’s own figures, are a damning indictment of the lies and propaganda being constantly spewed out by the Government and Minister Harney.
With the Budget looming and UCHG’s own budget already cut by €37 million, it is obvious that there is no way possible that UCHG will be ready for more patients at any time in the near future, if it ever will.
In these times of supposed increased transparency and honesty, it must now be time for our politicians to drop this disgraceful charade before the health of more patients is put at risk.
In light of these figures, we are calling on the Minister for Health, Prof Keane and Prof Brendan Drumm and our political representatives to admit that the strategy in its current form is completely unworkable and needs to be reviewed and done so immediately.
Killian McLoughlin,
Save Sligo Cancer Services campaign
www.sligocentre.net