“The horrendous revelation that five patients died last year at the Royal Victoria Hospital as a result of cuts is proof that Stormont’s austerity is costing lives” according to a health campaigner.
Paddy Meehan, who organised protests against the closure of Belfast City Hospital A&E unit in 2012 said “Tragically our warning that lives will be needlessly lost as a result of the ceaseless cuts to our health service has been ignored by all the politicians in the Stormont Executive.
“The findings of the health watchdog, the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA), have illustrated a whole string of management breaches, from refusing to provided proper staffing levels to serious incidences of bullying but none of this comes as any surprise to hospital staff.
“Instead of blaming doctors for refusing to work in emergency services, all emergency services must now be properly funded and resourced. One concrete step towards ending the health service crisis is to re-open Belfast City A&E unit as a matter of urgency. I together with colleagues in the Socialist Party and the trade union movement will be stepping up our campaign to re-open Belfast City A&E and would call on people to support us by e-mailing info@socialistpartyni.net.”
