Unconditional Labour support for retention of facilities at South Tipp General would be welcome

Over the last year and a half, a united community effort, including all Tipperary South Oireachtas members, has fought to ensure that the recent investment, the services, and the employment provided by South Tipperary General Hospital (STGH) would be retained, notwithstanding the South-East reconfiguration exercise being conducted by the HSE according to Dr. Martin Mansergh TD, local Minister of State.

"In my own case, I have had to use all my influence with the Minister for Health Mary Harney and Minister of State John Moloney to ensure that the critical mass of hospital services would be kept intact, and its future not prejudiced during the remaining lifetime of this Government. I am glad that on my watch, albeit with difficulty, we have succeeded in containing the challenge to the Hospital’s future thus far. There will be a particular onus on whoever are the Government members in the next Oireachtas to carry on this approach."

"While I have warned from long experience of the dangers of an interregnum period (i.e. the five to six week period between the calling of an election and the formation of a new Government), I am confident the next Government, whatever its composition, will be in a position to decide freely, whether or in what form to proceed with any South-East reconfiguration, (or indeed a reconfiguration of the HSE and the entire administration of the health services), without being forced to implement prior contractual decisions prejudicial to the future or character of STGH."

"We would all of course have welcomed unambiguous confirmation by Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore of his party’s support for the Hospital, should it be in Government, but I am concerned that he appears to have made it conditional on a Labour TD being returned for the constituency, Senator Phil Prendergast is already an Oireachtas member, to whom he can easily turn to for advice at present. If Deputy Gilmore is implying that the Labour Party will only support the hospital, if the people of Tipperary South return a Labour Party candidate to the next Dáil, I would find this attitude deeply cynical, and not in accordance with the unified political and community approach that has so far prevailed."

"A commitment to turn to advice to someone is in any case very far from being as strong a commitment to the future of South Tipperary General Hospital, as it might appear. I am glad that the Minister and Minister of State for Health in the end heeded my advice and that of all my colleagues, backed by the overwhelming voice of the community, and deferred a reconfiguration exercise that could have been very damaging and prejudicial to the future of the Hospital."

"In my view, those seeking to be elected to the next Dáil and Seanad should pledge to continue to work together with local groups and hospital staff for the future of the Hospital, rather than attempt to use the issue to gain electoral advantage. We should all recognise honestly that making national policy and local needs and priorities consistent with each other, bearing in mind health and safety, quality of patient health care, not to mention resource considerations, is never going to be easy. In my view, no one can afford to relax, regardless of the election outcome."