DIRECTOR of the Rural Communities Network, Kate Clifford, spoke at an event held in the Westville Hotel, Enniskillen last Tuesday evening.
The meeting was held by campaign group Save Our Acute Services (SOAS) on efforts to restore emergency general surgery (EGS) to the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH).
Addressing the large crowd, Ms Clifford, spoke on Fermanagh’s unique geography, but said this should not be a barrier to accessing proper services.
She referenced the Rural Needs Act (2016) as legislation relevant to the removal of EGS at SWAH.
“I do not want to tell you how rural you are, but it is very important to put it in the context of Northern Ireland and why this matters to you,” she said.
“You cannot change your geography. This geography is you, and it happens to be peripheral and rural, outside the mainstream road and rail network.
“What this means, and what was not done by the Western Trust, is that before any change to a service or alteration of a statutory service, they have to consider how this will impact rural communities,
“and how it might be mitigated, taking geography and access to services into account so it does not become a disadvantage.
She concluded, “For us, we have seen that it really does make a difference when it is done well.
“We have plenty of examples over the years of when we have gone to statutory organisations and asked them to rural-proof their decisions before implementing them, and to consider how this will impact rural communities.
“We have examples of this in health trusts.”
