Orthopaedic Services announcement a 'mixed bag'
Sinn Féin health spokesperson, Cllr John O'Dowd has said that today's announcement
by direct-rule health minister, Paul Goggins, to provide investment in
trauma and orthopaedic services for the North is something of a mixed bag.
Cllr
O'Dowd said,
"On one hand, the health minister's announcement to
invest £15 million in creating a new Trauma and Orthopaedic unit at
Craigavon Area Hospital which will open its doors later this year is indeed
welcome. This is particularly true as Craigavon hospital is now catering for
a far wider catchments area than ever was envisaged when it was originally
designed and built.
"The minister states that this announcement
is part of a commitment to ensuring a Six County-wide reduction in waiting
times for fracture and orthopaedic services so at most patients will receive
their fracture treatment within 48 hours by March of next year.
"However,
that commitment is somewhat undermined by the minister's inability to detail
exactly when a second such Trauma and Orthopaedic Unit will be created at
Antrim hospital. The minister's own statement that a second such unit will
be developed 'within the next few years' is not entirely convincing. If have
no doubt that health professionals and service users would like to see a
more substantial and definitive statement from Paul
Goggins in relation
to this second unit, rather than the type of vague announcement which he
made today." ENDS