Save Donegal Health Services Protest March

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Thousands are expected to take to the streets of Letterkenny this Saturday for a protest march and rally against the proposed reductions in local health and hospital services. It will leave the town's Station Roundabout at 12 noon and make its way to the hospital where a number of speakers will address the crowd.

It is understood the proposed cuts will begin with an orthopaedic beds cut by 12, the closure of a theatre, one Intensive Care Unit bed and a reduction in the number of hours staff work.

They are talking about reducing the terms affecting 94 fixed term contracts by eight hours per person and as some people work part-time their hours would be reduced by a quarter.

If you think you or a family member may need these services in your lifetime it is essential that you make the effort to come along to the march to send the message out loud and clear, Donegal won't put up with such savage cuts.

danniemcq

I'll be there but sorry to say i highly doubt "thousands" will be there. The Irish as a nation seems to have lost our ability to protest. I'd say we'd be lucky if a few hundred show and if it rains even less

gavmcfad

danniemcq wrote: »

I'll be there but sorry to say i highly doubt "thousands" will be there. The Irish as a nation seems to have lost our ability to protest. I'd say we'd be lucky if a few hundred show and if it rains even less

Wouldn't be so sure. People feel very strongly about this. I was at a protest about cancer services been moved from Letterkenny and there was a very good crowd....pissing down too it was.

Traffic will be mental on Sat now.

danniemcq

gavmcfad wrote: »

Wouldn't be so sure. People feel very strongly about this. I was at a protest about cancer services been moved from Letterkenny and there was a very good crowd....pissing down too it was.

Traffic will be mental on Sat now.

I honestly hope i am wrong. and it's not often i'll say that!

Einhard

danniemcq wrote: »

I'll be there but sorry to say i highly doubt "thousands" will be there. The Irish as a nation seems to have lost our ability to protest. I'd say we'd be lucky if a few hundred show and if it rains even less

And others don't seem to realise that we're running a €20 billion deficit, and have to reduce services across the board.

danniemcq

Einhard wrote: »

And others don't seem to realise that we're running a €20 billion deficit, and have to reduce services across the board.

Yes lets take it from the sick instead of the crooks in Government and bankers that got us into this mess. God forbid if they are treated the way everyone else is. When Biffo earns more than Obama there is something wrong with the system

Einhard

danniemcq wrote: »

Yes lets take it from the sick instead of the crooks in Government and bankers that got us into this mess. God forbid if they are treated the way everyone else is. When Biffo earns more than Obama there is something wrong with the system

Where do you propose we make the €20 billion in savings if the health sector, which accounts for a third of spending, is excluded from the outset? Reduce Biffo's salary by €200k? Great, that just leaves €19,999,800,000.

.17hmr

Einhard wrote: »

Where do you propose we make the €20 billion in savings if the health sector, which accounts for a third of spending, is excluded from the outset? Reduce Biffo's salary by €200k? Great, that just leaves €19,999,800,000.

Great biffo sorted now lets means test the rest off them and lets see what we have then;)

TreasureBin

gavmcfad wrote: »

Wouldn't be so sure. People feel very strongly about this. I was at a protest about cancer services been moved from Letterkenny and there was a very good crowd....pissing down too it was.

Traffic will be mental on Sat now.

The facebook page has over a thousand likes, if that's any indication.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Save-wards-at-Letterkenny-general-push-out-the-pen-pushers/140502095971174?v=wall

danniemcq

Einhard wrote: »

Where do you propose we make the €20 billion in savings if the health sector, which accounts for a third of spending, is excluded from the outset? Reduce Biffo's salary by €200k? Great, that just leaves €19,999,800,000.

Gee I dunno maybe by getting their thumbs out and taking proper action against the (sorry for repeating myself) people that got us into this mess. How much do the developers owe? How much money have we pumped into Anglo and god knows how much more will have to be put in to stop the bleeding. Reduce TAX on the majority of items help us spend our way out of the recession instead of watching every cent (or shopping in the north as people from all over the country do not just Donegal). Do something more to cut down on welfare cheats instead of "looking into it" and setting up roadblocks to catch people border hopping, spend some money on road and building projects outside of Dublin so that workers around the country aren't left high and dry or forced to move and this would also help pump money into local communities instead, the legalisation of some drugs (please note the word some) if anything in the last while has shown how much there is to gain from this is the success of the headshops, the legalisation say of weed would give the government vast quantities of money from VAT and also free up the gardai that spend their time looking for dealers to move onto other criminal activities and also and lastly on the topic of criminals give the CAB more power to seize anything from gangs. When all this is done and we still have a 20 billion deficit then maybe go after more vital services we have. Anyone else got anything to add?

GoldenGreen

danniemcq wrote: »

Gee I dunno maybe by getting their thumbs out and taking proper action against the (sorry for repeating myself) people that got us into this mess. How much do the developers owe? How much money have we pumped into Anglo and god knows how much more will have to be put in to stop the bleeding. Reduce TAX on the majority of items help us spend our way out of the recession instead of watching every cent (or shopping in the north as people from all over the country do not just Donegal). Do something more to cut down on welfare cheats instead of "looking into it" and setting up roadblocks to catch people border hopping, spend some money on road and building projects outside of Dublin so that workers around the country aren't left high and dry or forced to move and this would also help pump money into local communities instead, the legalisation of some drugs (please note the word some) if anything in the last while has shown how much there is to gain from this is the success of the headshops, the legalisation say of weed would give the government vast quantities of money from VAT and also free up the gardai that spend their time looking for dealers to move onto other criminal activities and also and lastly on the topic of criminals give the CAB more power to seize anything from gangs. When all this is done and we still have a 20 billion deficit then maybe go after more vital services we have. Anyone else got anything to add?

Why do we need this metro line north, is it not a luxury in this current climate, is there not alternatives there ie, road, busses, taxis even bikes.
This metro line is expect to cost 2.5 billion, but lets factor in the over runs as there always are.

Best use the LUAS as an example expect to cost 288 million, ended up costing 800 million a 277% over run, apply that to the metro line north and it could end up costing 6.9 billion and that for a luxury.

even if it did not over run I could think of better ways to use 2.5 billion euro.

muffler

Guys, the topic is "Save Donegal Health Services Protest March". Can we stick to that please.

Thanks

danniemcq

Taking to the streets

Posted online: Aug 5th, 2010

By Dermot Keys
Thousands are expected to take to the streets of Letterkenny on Saturday to protest about the proposed cuts in staff and services at Letterkenny General Hospital.

Further talks took place this week between the management of the hospital and the unions but the public were urged to join Saturday’s protest by a newly-established group, ‘Save Donegal Health Services Alliance.’ Noelle Duddy, Spokesperson for Cancer Care NorthWest and a member of the new Alliance, said that people would not tolerate cuts to the staff and services in the hospital.

“The central premise of patient lobby/support groups is ‘equal access according to need and best practice with best outcome for the patient’. Cutting back on services, closing beds and theatres and moratoriums on replacing staff goes against the best interests of the patient. We will not tolerate this.”

Pointing to the success of the 2006 street marches in defence of cancer services in Donegal, she said that the stakes were even higher this time around.

“This time we are asking ‘The People of Donegal’ to defend our Public Health Services, our hospital and our primary/community services.

“Many of us have lost our jobs, received cuts in our working hours, lost our homes, and received many other smaller more subtle cuts, we are being bled to death, numbed and in shock but we are not dead yet. We still have our powerful voices.

“We cannot afford to stay silent and remain sitting on the fence regarding the future of our public health services. Remaining silent gives permission to the government to continue with its current policy.”

People are asked to gather at the Station Roundabout, Letterkenny, at 12noon, on Saturday for the march, which will head towards Letterkenny General Hospital.

from front page of letterkenny post http://www.letterkennypost.com/

R.D. aka MR.D

I am just wondering when this march was organised?

Also where it was publicized? I would have gone if I had of heard about it sooner but as it's now Friday night....

danniemcq

Well i've never been so happy to be wrong. There were few thousand there delighted

R.D. aka MR.D wrote: »

I am just wondering when this march was organised?

Also where it was publicized? I would have gone if I had of heard about it sooner but as it's now Friday night....

It was mainly posters and signs up in shop windows and a facebook campaign. There wasn't much media coverage till last day or two

inode

yeah there was a very good crowd at it. hopefully it will accomplish something

mk2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qZUrGxS-_o