Immense financial pressure on the health service has resulted in major cut backs as the Trust fights to close a gaping budget hole.

And as work starts on a new £105m hospital for Omagh, questions are now being asked as to the value of building another new hospital and whether or not it will affect services that are already under pressure at the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen.

The new Omagh hospital is to feature a range of services already available at the South West Acute Hospital, including X-ray, outpatient services and a children’s ward.

UUP MLA Tom Elliott stated that if similar services are being provided at both hospitals while local patients are being forced to travel outside Fermanagh then that should be investigated.

His comments come following the Fermanagh Herald’s report on patients who are being forced to make four hour round trips to Derry’s Altnagelvin Hospital for routine appointments.

Services at the Omagh hospital will include GP practices, urgent care and treatment, cardiac assessment, out-patients, X-ray and a dedicated children’s department.

The outpatients area includes 38 consulting rooms which will provide adults treatments for eye sight, hearing, diabetes, fractures, skin and ENT (ear, nose and

throat).

“If these types of services are already part of the SWAH hospital remit why are the building another hospital. This is clearly an issue,” he said.

“In times of austerity the trust needs to look at everything. I do believe the trust and department should be looking again at spending that money and I have no difficulty in saying that.

“The services available at this new hospital should not reduce or effect services in Enniskillen or Altnagelvin.

“Whether that’s justifiable that’s a matter for the Western Trust. I don’t want to disadvantage the people of Omagh from getting a hospital, but the questions must be asked, what exactly is this (new) hospital going to provide.

“If there’s not reasonable provision for services then the issue should be questioned.

“We may have to investigate this matter and I think it would be useful at this stage to have a fresh look at it. I don’t want it to be a white elephant.

“Enniskillen’s hospital needs to provide more regular and specialist services. I have visited patients on several occasions recently and there’s quite a lot of services but we would all like to see more. Clearly I would like to see more opportunity for people with heart conditions and for those with cancer.

“I know a lot of people who travel to Altnagelvin and the city hospital just to get their medication and get testing carried out. Why could there not be a unit one day a week? There are a huge amount of people travelling from Fermanagh to these hospitals.

“Quite a lot of people tell you that they are diverting that money to front line services but it’s just gobbled up, it’s taken out of Acute Services but where does it go?”

The Western Trust was contacted about issues raised in this article but had not responded at time of going to press.