Surprise at lack of political response to consultation on Primary Care
Sinn Féin health spokesperson, John O'Dowd, MLA has expressed surprise
that
none of the other political parties in the Six Counties appear to
have
formally responded to a major government consultation on the future
of
Primary Health Care Services.
Assembly member O'Dowd said, "The
'Caring For People Beyond Tomorrow'
consultation was essentially about
putting in place a strategy for primary
care services over the next two
decades. Indeed, primary care services
account for 90% of the activity
within the North's health and social care
system. As such, these
services have a major impact of the lives of almost
everyone in the Six
Counties.
"Many people will be surprised to learn, therefore,
that with the
exception of Sinn Féin, no other party has been included
in the list of
all those organizations which responded to the original
consultation. This
obviously raises questions about the sincerity of
those other political
parties in relation to health issues, and of
their commitment to ensuring
the future delivery of effective primary
health and social care services."
ENDS