Opposition to plans for Enniskillen's new acute moved up a gear this week when the Omagh Hospital Campaign Group called for the Northern Ireland Assembly to suspend the proposals in order to examine where the finance for the schemes should come from.

David McKee, the Chairman of the Omagh Hospital Campaign Group referred to opposition to the funding of the two hospital developments, at Omagh and Enniskillen, through a Private Finance Initiative (PFI).

He has asked the Northern Ireland Assembly to suspend proposals until the PFI is given further consideration.

"There should be extreme caution whether this form of funding is in the long term interests of the population in Northern Ireland or otherwise".

His concerns follow a British Medical Association's request to the government to stop PFI deals which, the organisation claim, 'fleece the NHS'.

In response to the Committee of Public Accounts Report on PFI 'debt financing', the Association described PFI as, 'an expensive way of borrowing money which stores up debts for the future and drains funds away from the NHS into the pockets of private investors'.

Mr McKee agreed and he submitted that private sector deals offered poor value and could leave hospitals heavily in debt for decades.

He called upon MLA'S to take steps to request an early debate on the costs and conditions of PFI, and he insisted that the public should be made aware of the facts.

He argued that the estimated cost of £150 million for a local hospital in Omagh was 'poor value for what could end up as an enhanced Health Centre'.