BY MARK McKELVEY
At last weeks Western Trust board meeting in Enniskillen, Omagh UUP Cllr Ross Hussey took the opportunity to again highlight the poor condition of the road that West Tyrone patients have to travel to receive emergency treatment in the Erne Hospital.
With board members having driven that road to reach the meeting last Thursday morning, Cllr Hussey commented, "Today, you had the opportunity to travel to Enniskillen, either from Londonderry or Omagh or further afield. I hope that you noted the state of the roads on your way here."
Highlighting that there was no dual-carriageways, but undulating roads, and the length of time it took to travel from Omagh, Cllr Hussey again appealed to the trust, the Board and the Health Minister to ensure that coronary care is retained in Omagh until the roads are suitable for emergency vehicles to achieve 'the golden hour'.
Cllr Hussey continued to express his concerns that there are still no plans in place to make this road "fit-for-purpose".
"I attended a public meeting on Tuesday in Omagh in relation to the proposed new road from Aughnacloy to Londonderry," he said. "If there's a fair wind and all goes according to plan, it could be opened by late 2012 early 2013. If not, we could expect it to be open in 2015. However, there is still no date in the calendar for the Omagh to Enniskillen route.
"Delays in getting the patient from his home into the ambulance when there is a ticking clock do not help. If the patient arrives in Enniskillen within the hour, I would be surprised, but what effect will that 'rocky road' have had on the patient?
"I am not here to scaremonger but I am here to raise serious concerns at the 'hell for leather' attitude of this trust in their willingness to proceed at all costs with a inappropriately named project, 'Developing Better Services,' when there are clear and genuine concerns for the people of Omagh and West Tyrone in respect of their health care.
"It is your duty to deliver an acceptable level of health care to the people of Omagh the same level of care that would be expected in Limavady, Londonderry, Strabane, Enniskillen or anywhere in the UK. Until the roads issue is resolved, you dare not remove the coronary care service from Omagh.
"Today, I issue this challenge to you, show that you listen – have the courage to say OK we accept that by removing coronary care from the people of Omagh the service we provide will be 'unsafe' and therefore we the Western Health and Social Care Trust commit to retaining this service in Omagh until the road infrastructure between Omagh and Enniskillen is substantially improved.
"That would establish the beginning of a working relationship between this trust and the people of Omagh."
A spokesperson for the Western Health and Social Care Trust said, "A number of issues were raised by Cllr Hussey at a meeting of the Trust Board last Thursday, May 1. The trust is in the process of bringing together the information to enable it to address the questions raised by Cllr Hussey and will be responding to the councillor as soon as possible."
