Public Meeting Expected to Draw Large Crowd

A public meeting is due to be held this coming Friday, 13^th March, at 6.30pm in Ionad Teampall Chroine as part of the campaign which is calling for the reinstatement of the Gynaecology and Antenatal Clinic in Dungloe Community Hospital. The clinic which serves a large catchment area of west Donegal, from Fintown to Dunfanaghy and the wider Rosses area, including offshore islands such as Arranmore, has been closed since November 2014 due to the consultant being on sick leave. This now means patients have to travel to Letterkenny to avail of the service there.

A campaign group was formed in January made up of concerned individuals, expectant mothers and community representatives and since its formation the group has been active making people in the locality aware of the issue, holding a protest outside the hospital and meeting with politicians and HSE representatives in an effort to have the clinic reopened.

Speaking of the up-coming public meeting on Friday, spokesperson for the group Bridie Nic Giolla Easpuic said the time had come for all local politicians to lend their full weight to the campaign as the implications for the continued closure of the clinic could become a matter of life and death.

“The HSE clearly haven’t taken into consideration what is involved for the women of all ages who now have to make the round trip to Letterkenny to use a service which was once here in a much more accessible location” Bridie Nic Giolla Easpuic said.

“Public transport is exceptionally poor in this region and a journey to Letterkenny from Dungloe can be up to three hours for a round trip, which is particularly arduous for pregnant and elderly women alike. This is added to even more for women from Arranmore Island for example given the distance they have to travel and the fact they are constrained by the hours the ferries operate.

“There is also the factor of cost of travel, both financially and time wise for all women who have to travel to Letterkenny. Indeed some or all of these factors are now causing some women to take the decision not to make the journey to Letterkenny which is putting their health at serious risk.”

Calling for wide support for Fridays meeting Bridie Nic Giolla Easpuic continued saying “This public meeting is very important to all the women of this region and we need everyone to come along and show their support. This affects us all including the men as the women whose health is being put at risk with this closure are our mothers and grandmothers, sisters, wives and daughters.

“We have contacted all our local TD’s and local councillors and have asked them to attend the public meeting in Dungloe on Friday and show their support for the campaign. We can see no reason why any politician would not support the reinstatement of the clinic and do everything they can to support us in our efforts, and we thank those who have stood by us and helped us so far. We look forward to more politicians agreeing to attend the public meeting on Friday and coming on board and working together with our community to ensure this vital service remains in Dungloe in the long term for the health and wellbeing of all the women of our region.”