OMAGH NEEDS MORE THAN GLORIFIED HEALTH CENTRE
Omagh needs more than glorified health centre'
A CONSULTANT anesthetist at Tyrone County Hospital, Mr. John Maguinness, told the Hayes Commission that the people of Omagh did not want a glorified health centre with day care surgery instead of proper hospital services. Mr. Maguinness and consultant surgeon, Mr. Dominic Pinto, urged that acute status was not taken out of Tyrone completely.
Referring to the bombing on August 15 two years ago, Mr. Maguinness said that in the 20 years prior to the atrocity there had never been a need for an air ambulance.
He said the helicopter service that assisted after the bombing was down to the good will shown by Captain Samuel Potter, from Lisanelly Army Barracks, who mobilised the troops and flew the seriously injured to other hospitals in Northern Ireland.
In a tribute to the captain, he said: "He saved people's lives. That fact has been very much ignored".
"Every day there are minor disasters. Road traffic accidents, falls at home. Most can be taken care of locally and exceptionally well. We do not need a golden hospital, we already have a platinum one," he said.
Mr. Pinto told the Review Group that he had no doubt they would look at all previous review material and would come to a proper conclusion.
He said the south west of the Province was in great need of a hospital. He said that when aspects of training and specialties were factored in, it was obvious a small hospital would not be able to provide those kind of services.
However, he said it would be a glaring omission not to have a local hospital for the people here.
"You will come to that conclusion, and I hope you will make sure that is what will be provided here. The choice remains where that should be.
He urged the Review Group to take note of what had occurred in respect of hospital facilities in Antrim, and stressed that politicians should not dictate what the Review Group decided.
"Geographically, Omagh makes common sense. You know it is going to be Omagh," he said.
He charged the Review Group to look at hospital provision across Northern Ireland, and said it was another fact that the Province did not need four health boards, two would be sufficient and all that was South Tyrone now looking to Omagh.
Also addressing the Review Group, Mrs. Ethne McCord, from Aughnacloy, said that since the loss of the inpatient facilities at the South Tyrone Hospital in Dungannon, people of the district had been looking to Omagh.
She said that the view of the Royal Colleges that certain levels of demand needed to be in place in order to provide certain services did not apply to rural areas.
She said people could not see why consultants could not rotate around the patients, instead of patients rotating around the consultants.
"Why should they not be patient led, rather than consultant led?" she said, adding that people in the Province were all waiting to see the same consultants, but those in rural areas were having to wait longer.
She said that this situation was not acceptable to people, and the discussion was an insult to those at the meeting who had to live west of the River Bann.
A CONSULTANT anesthetist at Tyrone County Hospital, Mr. John Maguinness, told the Hayes Commission that the people of Omagh did not want a glorified health centre with day care surgery instead of proper hospital services. Mr. Maguinness and consultant surgeon, Mr. Dominic Pinto, urged that acute status was not taken out of Tyrone completely.
Referring to the bombing on August 15 two years ago, Mr. Maguinness said that in the 20 years prior to the atrocity there had never been a need for an air ambulance.
He said the helicopter service that assisted after the bombing was down to the good will shown by Captain Samuel Potter, from Lisanelly Army Barracks, who mobilised the troops and flew the seriously injured to other hospitals in Northern Ireland.
In a tribute to the captain, he said: "He saved people's lives. That fact has been very much ignored".
"Every day there are minor disasters. Road traffic accidents, falls at home. Most can be taken care of locally and exceptionally well. We do not need a golden hospital, we already have a platinum one," he said.
Mr. Pinto told the Review Group that he had no doubt they would look at all previous review material and would come to a proper conclusion.
He said the south west of the Province was in great need of a hospital. He said that when aspects of training and specialties were factored in, it was obvious a small hospital would not be able to provide those kind of services.
However, he said it would be a glaring omission not to have a local hospital for the people here.
"You will come to that conclusion, and I hope you will make sure that is what will be provided here. The choice remains where that should be.
He urged the Review Group to take note of what had occurred in respect of hospital facilities in Antrim, and stressed that politicians should not dictate what the Review Group decided.
"Geographically, Omagh makes common sense. You know it is going to be Omagh," he said.
He charged the Review Group to look at hospital provision across Northern Ireland, and said it was another fact that the Province did not need four health boards, two would be sufficient and all that was South Tyrone now looking to Omagh.
Also addressing the Review Group, Mrs. Ethne McCord, from Aughnacloy, said that since the loss of the inpatient facilities at the South Tyrone Hospital in Dungannon, people of the district had been looking to Omagh.
She said that the view of the Royal Colleges that certain levels of demand needed to be in place in order to provide certain services did not apply to rural areas.
She said people could not see why consultants could not rotate around the patients, instead of patients rotating around the consultants.
"Why should they not be patient led, rather than consultant led?" she said, adding that people in the Province were all waiting to see the same consultants, but those in rural areas were having to wait longer.
She said that this situation was not acceptable to people, and the discussion was an insult to those at the meeting who had to live west of the River Bann.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1585
Published Date: 16-Nov-00
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