Preparations underway for Downe rally

Preparations underway for Downe rally

10 December 2014

WORK is continuing on a huge community rally planned for next February to oppose cuts to frontline services at the Downe Hospital.

Valentine’s Day has been chosen as the date of the rally which features a march from the Downpatrick hospital to the town centre.

The event is being organised by the Down Community Health Committee and Down Council, with the local authority confirming it has appointed a dedicated officer to help campaigners.

Trade unions and politicians are backing the rally and one of the chief organisers said the build-up towards the event will start in early January. Mrs. Anne Trainor said work will continue behind the scenes in the run-up to Christmas before a major publicity campaign and meetings take place from January onwards.

“The real push starts in the New Year and our aim is to put thousands of feet on the street. Previous campaigns have been overwhelmingly supported by the people of this district and they must come out in their droves in February,” she continued.

“Over many years we have had cross-community and cross party political consensus throughout our campaigns. That has been our strength in the past and will be in the future.”

Mrs. Trainor said the people of the district won’t stand by and allow frontline services to be stripped from their hospital, declaring: “We want to see feet on the street and we know the people of this district will be behind this renewed campaign every step of the way.”

The veteran campaigner said the organisation of the public rally comes as health chiefs consult on a plan to introduce parking charges at the Downe Hospital, confirming local people are vehemently opposed to the plan.

“Given that we have two large GP surgeries at the Downe, people are effectively going to be charged to see their doctor. It’s also a bit ironic that patients will be charged for parking outside a hospital which does not provide them with the full range of services they require,” she added.

Down Council chairman Billy Walker said he’s delighted the local authority is throwing its weight behind the mass public rally and has appointed a dedicated officer to work alongside health campaigners.

He believes the local council has a vitally important role to play working alongside hospital campaigners in organising the February rally.

“Appointing a designated officer to carry out research and help to examine if there are grounds to judicially review the South Eastern Trust decision are key developments,” said the chairman.

“The planned rally provides every single person across this district with an opportunity to send a defiant message to health chiefs that they have had enough and there must be no more service cuts at the people’s hospital.”

Councillor Walker said the local community has been at the forefront of previous successful campaigns to defend the Downe Hospital and must now ready itself again.

He added: “No more cuts to frontline services at the Downe. No more centralising services which the people of this district expect and are entitled to have delivered at the Downe Hospital.”