A sister of a local man who has since passed away, spoke at an event held in the Westville Hotel, Enniskillen, last Tuesday evening about the impact of the removal of emergency services.
The meeting was held by campaign group Save Our Acute Services (SOAS) as part of ongoing efforts to restore emergency general surgery (EGS) to the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH).
Addressing the large crowd, Fermanagh woman Dolores McQuigan told the harrowing story of her late brother, Mark McGuigan.
When Mark, 61, developed gallstone problems at home, as he was over 55, the surgical pathway the Western Trust put in place bypassed SWAH.
He went straight to Altnagelvin ED, where he sat for three days, developed sepsis, pancreatitis and eventually necrotising fasciitis.
He died on November 17, the third anniversary of when the Western Trust stated that surgical services were being stood down at SWAH.
Dolores said, “On November 17, that very fit, master carpenter and father of three, died of gallstones because he spent two and a half days sitting in a hospital that is ill-equipped to meet the needs of the people of this area.
“And this is only one story. I would urge all people who have stories, big or small, to come forward and give their testimony, so that we do not have any more people dying and being told by accountants that their lives are not worth anything.”
