Welcome for Senior Doctor's timely warning on Causeway
16 May 2012
Statement by North Antrim MLA and TUV Leader Jim Allister:-"The recent warning by senior doctor, Dr Owen Finnegan, that the removal of acute services from the Causeway Hospital would pose 'significant health risk' to the local population, is a timely wake up call to Minister Poots. I hope he's listening.
“Dr Finnegan is absolutely right. The Minister can't strip out acute services from Coleraine without creating chaos across the Trust area, simply because neither Antrim - already in turmoil - or Altnagevlin could cope. I endorse entirely his view that the only safe way of delivering healthcare is to continue to have acute services in Coleraine. The Poots/Compton plan is madness and will leave vast swathes of North Antrim and East Londonderry without accessible acute hospital services.
"I also welcome and support the Unison petition, being presented to Stormont, as another vital contribution to the rising campaign to save the Causeway as an essential acute hospital.
"The people of Ballymoney and Coleraine are not second class citizens and must not be left with a second rate service by the DUP Health minister. What we have in Coleraine we need and must hold."
