Home News Latest News Protests greet Minister's Crumlin visit

Protests greet Minister's Crumlin visit

Thursday, 11 March 2010

SINN Féin protesters described a visit by Health Minister Mary Harney to Crumlin children's hospital last week as “highly hypocritical”. Over 20 local residents and Sinn Féin members staged a protest outside the hospital on Wednesday last to coincide with Minister Harney's opening of an extension to an existing Accident and Emergency ward. Deputy Aengus O Snodaigh (SF), who organised the protest, told Southside People that it was “highly hypocritical” of Minister Harney to open the new extension as he claimed she intends to close the hospital in four years. The hospital is scheduled to close in 2014 as part of the Government's plan to amalgamate the three existing children's hospital at a new national children's hospital at the Mater. Deputy O Snodaigh pointed out that hospital management was forced to close a number of wards and operating theatres in Crumlin last summer, which have not been reopened because of a shortfall in funding from the HSE. “The minister’s plan is to close this hospital by 2014,” he said. “Last year she presided over a period when operating theatres and wards were closed, which affected its ability to treat patients. “It is a bit hypocritical of her opening a new extension to an A&E when there is no future for the hospital in her plans or the department's plans.” He added: “There were two periods last year when the outpatients’ section was closed because of lack of funds. One of the theatres was closed for the whole summer and one of the wards, which Mary Harney herself had only opened a few months previously, also closed. “Unless this new A&E comes with a guarantee of additional funding there doesn't seem to be much point in opening it because the hospital cannot properly function at the current level of funding.” Deputy O Snodaigh also said that replies he received from the HSE on the foot of parliamentary questions showed how the executive spent some e16.5 million on subcontracting operations for children to private hospitals under the National Treatment Purchase Fund between 2005 and 2009. “Taxpayers’ money is being increasingly used to source private operations for paediatrics,” he said. “Over the last number of years a significant sum of money has been diverted from public to private hospitals at a time when operating theatres are sitting empty because of a lack of funding.” A spokesman for the Department of Health said the development of the National Paediatric Hospital was a “priority project” for the Government. “The Children’s Health First Report commissioned by the Health Service Executive indicated that the population and projected demands in this country can support only one world class tertiary paediatric hospital,” he said. “It recommended that the hospital should be in Dublin and ideally be located alongside a leading adult academic hospital in order to optimise the outcomes for children. “Following detailed consideration, it was decided that the most appropriate location for the new National Paediatric Hospital is at the Mater Hospital.” He added: “The minister welcomes the decision by Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, to participate fully in the development of the project and to nominate representatives to the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board.”