Any delay to delivery of the much needed radiotherapy unit at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry will put lives at risk, SDLP Foyle MLA Pat Ramsey has warned.
Repeating the call for the unit to be delivered as soon as possible, Mr Ramsey challenged Health Minister to give assurance around the continuing uncertainty and that such a critical service would be available to the people of Derry and the wider North West as soon as possible.
Mr Poots has said the new unit, due to open in mid-2016, could be delayed by six months unless money was allocated to his department.
Last month, the he said the Department of Health was facing a £140m shortfall in funding, following the June monitoring round at Stormont, when departmental budgets were examined and reallocated.
However, Mr Ramsey said a potential six-month delay due to a budget shortfall was “not acceptable.”
Mr Ramsey was speaking ahead of an Assembly debate on a motion recognising the importance of the Derry hospital.
Mr Ramsey said: “This delay is putting lives at risk and will have a serious detrimental impact on the quality of care that staff can provide. That the unit faces delay is extremely worrying.
Pat Ramsey MLA
“This radiotherapy unit is not simply for the people of Derry. The delay in this radiotherapy unit will have wider implications for the North West and the North generally. The delay will have serious impacts on cross-border co-operation in delivering critical health services.”
“Altnagelvin hospital, the Western Trust and patients will suffer if the health minister fails to give unqualified assurance that the radiotherapy unit will be delivered without delay.”
During the debate, Mr Ramsey praised efforts of frontline staff at Altnagelvin and referred to recent news the hospital met four-hour target waiting times in the A&E Department.
Mr Ramsey said such high quality health care could not continue in the face of cuts and delays.
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