Caution urged in treating southern patients

Julie Kenwell • Published 11 Feb 2011 09:00 0 Comments

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FERMANAGH district councillors believe a cross-Border approach to health and social care once Enniskillen’s South West Area Hospital is fully operational could bring “enormous advantages” to the County.

At last month’s council meeting Sinn Fein councillor Phil Flanagan informed members that a report, completed two years ago, proposed “eminently sensible recommendations” for a more immediate impact on patient and client care through a cross-Border framework.

Its findings state that “through working together to address major health issues, significant additional benefits to the population of each jurisdiction can be achieved, which could not be achieved by each system working in isolation”.

But the report, the ‘North-South Feasibility Study’, has not yet been published by Northern Ireland’s Health Minister Michael McGimpsey.

And at the latest Fermanagh District Council meeting, UUP councillor, Alex Baird, pointed to “the Republic’s poor health system” and urged “caution” when considering such an initiative.

“We may come to regret it,” he said, adding that he was supportive of cross-Border services, providing they were “mutually beneficial”.

The SDLP’s Frank Britton, however, believed there were “enormous advantages to be had” through a joint approach.

“Our new hospital in Enniskillen will really benefit from being able to take in patients from Donegal, Cavan, Leitrim and Monaghan. It would ensure our hospital is efficient and effective on the basis for going forward.

“We could have high level services that would serve the whole of Ireland.”

Mr. Flanagan accused his UUP counterpart of “scaremongering”.

“The North-South Feasibility Study has very common sense proposals which could reduce costs for both governments and bring about first class health care.”

However, Robert Irvine, UUP, said that, with the help of EU funding, hospital services had already been identified which could be accessed on a cross-Border basis. And party colleague, Bertie Kerr, agreed.

“There are people in Donegal who are already going to Londonderry for cancer treatment. When this hospital gets up and going hospitals in Sligo and Monaghan and Cavan I’m sure will have no problem in co-operating with us. We will be able to benefit from a flow of patients from their hospitals and they can benefit from our services.”

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 10 Feb 11

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