FERMANAGH residents are bracing for the next stage in the battle to save SWAH emergency surgery, with the Western Trust preparing to begin the process of making its temporary removal permanent.
Having been suspended in late 2022, this week the Western Trust board will decide on whether to open a consultation on the permanent removal of emergency general surgery (EGS) at the Enniskillen hospital. This has been met with fierce opposition and accusations of neglecting the needs of the local community.
Campaign group Save Our Acute Services (SOAS) said any move by Western Trust to make permanent the removal will set in stone the Fermanagh community’s second-class status.
SOAS has urged the public to stand ready to mobilise to defeat any proposal for the removal of emergency general surgery at SWAH to be made permanent.
“It is concerning that this proposal is even being tabled by the Western Trust bosses,” said SOAS spokesperson Donal O’Cofaigh.
“If this service goes it leaves more than 83,343 people more than an hour – and many more than two hours – away from live-saving surgery in an emergency situation. It is nothing short of an insult to our community and will set in stone our second-class status.
“The Western Trust pretend this decision was forced by a staffing crisis but the reality is that they haven’t attempted to recruit SWAH-based consultant surgeons since May 2021.
“The result is not just that our community’s basic human rights have been compromised but that our hospital is left rudderless and chronically underutilised and staff facing huge pressures.”
Public campaign
In recent months, SOAS unveiled a roadmap document providing detailed and evidence-based recommendations on how emergency general surgery could be restored to SWAH on a sustainable basis that will make the most out of what is a world-class facility
“Whilst we have always said that there is a temporary change, the Western Trusts intentions were permanent, we have never hidden that fact from the public. However, when they see it in black and white there is an anger and a well place anger, they realise that this in not safe,” SOAS secretary Helen Hamill told the ‘Herald.
“We are still being wrongly treated and one in five Fermanagh people are still doing a double ED which is unacceptable and agreed unsafe.”
Helen said SOAS will be responding to the public and fully intends to continue informing and giving the public a voice.
“If and when the Western Trust say permanent we change lanes, and it will be a very strong response and it will be asking people to put their feet on the street.”
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