Acute Hospital Diagnosis 'Short-sighted'

Politicians and doctors are at loggerheads today with the Chair of the Stormont Health Committee slamming doctors' leaders after they made a surprising call for the number of acute hospitals in Northern Ireland to be halved.

The British Medical Association (BMA) in Northern Ireland said the current number of acute hospitals is not sustainable and does not deliver the best service to people across the country.

Speaking at a Press conference in Belfast yesterday, the chairs of BMA (NI) committees said there are currently too many acute hospitals in Northern Ireland.

Dr Paul Darragh, Chair of the BMA Council, said: "There needs to be a realistic look at what services we actually need and how we provide those services as modern medicine.

"The exact setting and the exact number of centres that provide this service is up for discussion and we are more than happy to talk to the minister about service delivery," he said.

Also commenting, Dr Brian Dunn, Chair of the BMA (NI) GP Committee, said: "Northern Ireland's health service is in financial difficulty and I think we need radical solutions.

"We need less acute hospitals because people in Northern Ireland are going to have to make a decision - do they want local hospitals and outdated treatment or do they want less hospitals that have the most up-to-date medical treatment that will give better treatment and better survival after serious illnesses?"

But the Stormont Health Committee Chair, Sinn Fein's Michelle Gildernew has since branded the comments as "short-sighted".

The MP and MLA reacted to comments that said at least six acute hospitals should be closed.

Ms Gildernew said: "The attitude of Dr Dunn and the BMA is quite short-sighted and does not account for access to acute hospitals

"I would like to press Dr Dunn on which hospitals he thinks should close and how he stacks this against the need to provide emergency access within the 'golden hour'.

"The simple fact is there is not the infrastructure to support his proposals.

"We need to be more imaginative than closing down services. We need to look at centres such as the Altnagelvin Cancer Unit to see that all Ireland co-operation can support increased provision that delivers for local communities as one such success to be repeated," she said.

(BMcC/GK)