Downe campaign to be aired at special Stormont reception

Downe campaign to be aired at special Stormont reception

15 April 2015

THE fight to have 24-hour accident and emergency and dedicated coronary care services restored at the Downe Hospital is being taken to Stormont.

South Down MLA Chis Hazzard is hosting a reception for hospital campaigners at the Long Gallery Room next Tuesday.

In February, over 20,000 people took to the streets of Downpatrick during the Love the Downe rally organised by the Down Community Health Committee. Following on from the rally, Mr. Hazzard said he is delighted the campaign to Save the Downe is being taken to the Assembly and hopes all MLAs will engage with campaigners.

“Just as the Downe Hospital is under attack today, it could 

quite easily be their local hospital tomorrow,” he declared, confirming health campaigners hope to meet with the Assembly’s Health Committee to provide an up-to-date briefing on the current situation at the Downe Hospital.

Mr. Hazzard added: “The wider crisis in our health system concerning over-crowding in the Belfast hospitals, financial mismanagement, centralisation of services and woeful shortage of ambulance cover directly affects health provision at the Downe and across the South Down area. Next Tuesday, we will send a very strong message to Health Minister Jim Wells that it is time to reboot the Downe Hospital and put patients first.” 

The Down Community Health Committee is also encouraging local people to attend next Tuesday’s event in Stormont, suggesting people should be at Parliament Buildings by 11.15am.

Limited free transport is being made available to ferry people to the event with a bus scheduled to leave the old Downe Hospital car park in Pound Lane next Tuesday morning at 10.30am, returning to Downpatrick immediately after the event concludes. Anyone wishing to avail of the free transport must book a place by telephoning (028) 4461 4340 by 1pm this Friday, April 17.

Looking further ahead, the Community Health Committee has confirmed it is planning to launch a “people’s health manifesto” on April 24 at the St Patrick Centre in Downpatrick.

The event will highlight some of the key elements in the local health campaign that campaigners expect Westminster election candidates to support. 

All the candidates standing in the South Down and Strangford constituencies are being invited to attend next week’s manifesto launch, with the event starting at 11am.

Further details of the new manifesto are expected to be outlined during a meeting health campaigners are holding tomorrow night at 7pm at Denvir’s Coaching Inn in Downpatrick.