THE Minister of State for Older People, Máire Hoctor, was booed off the stage at a protest in her North Tipperary constituency at the weekend when 4,000 people marched in protest over proposed cuts to Nenagh General Hospital.
The mass rally was organised by the Nenagh Hospital Action Group, which was established in opposition to the planned downgrading of the north Tipperary hospital from April 1st next.
The protest was one of the biggest held in the midwest since the long-awaited publication of the HSE’s Teamwork/Horwarth Report, which recommends that the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick should be the only hospital in the region with a 24-hour AE department.
St John’s in Limerick city, Nenagh and Ennis General Hospitals will become local centres of excellence dealing with minor injuries, according to the controversial plans.
More than 4,000 protesters converged on Nenagh last Saturday afternoon in opposition to the downgrading of the local hospital.
“It is vital that we show this Government, the HSE and Minister Harney that we will fight tooth and nail to oppose her plans,” said Christy Hartigan, chairman of the Nenagh Hospital Action Group.
Ms Hoctor was booed and heckled by the crowd as she tried to address the gathering and was accompanied by gardaí as she left, such was the anger of the crowd.
North Tipperary TD Michael Lowry was also heckled and booed during his attempt to speak.
The march began near Nenagh hospital at lunchtime on Saturday and continued to Banba Square in the town centre, where the crowd was addressed by a number of speakers, including retired heart specialist Dr Maurice Nelligan and Dr Christine O’Malley.
In his address, Senator Alan Kelly (Labour) accused the HSE of lying to the people of North Tipperary.
“A HSE promise is worth about as much as a share in Anglo Irish Bank. They have told the people here nothing but lies after lies after lies and now they are paying for it,” he said.
“This is a short-sighted policy and we cannot trust them to deliver what they promise in Limerick,” he added.
According to Senator Kelly, the plans to downgrade Nenagh General Hospital will put lives at risk.
“They seem to think the people of Tipperary will believe them when they say they will have people in cars driving around the countryside like Michael Schumacher going from emergency to emergency. Well, people power has spoken today.
“It would appear that the health and wellbeing of patients in North Tipperary are being lost in an effort to reduce costs. Maybe the HSE believe that our lives are cheaper than others,” he added.
In his address, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore criticised the HSE’s plans.
“Labour believes in having a fully equipped basic local hospital. We know that local hospitals cannot do everything, nor should they, but this policy of downgrading from the HSE is extremely shortsighted,” he said.