Waterford councillors call for health service forum
City councillors want Ms Harney to immediately establish a regional forum to facilitate public representatives to articulate their views on regional health services.
The council is concerned that without local representation, money raised from the sale of 35 acres of land at St Otteran’s psychiatric hospital may not be invested in improving facilities for elderly and mentally ill people in Waterford.
“The new health executive came into being on the 1st January and under the legislation it was recommended that four regional forums be set up that would consist of local politicians,” Fine Gael councillor Hilary Quinlan explained.
“This is the only part of legislation that hasn’t been implemented. Meetings are taking place behind closed doors with officials and accountants and I don’t think that’s good enough.”
Last summer the South Eastern Health Board announced its intention to dispose of the surplus lands adjoining the John’s Hill hospital by this August.
The land is located in an upmarket area of the city and, if rezoned for development, could be worth several million euro.
Ms Quinlan has complained that the lack of beds for elderly and psychiatric patients in Waterford is a cause for concern.
However, the city’s mayor Cllr Seamus Ryan said the final decision is likely to be taken without local input.
“You have 35 acres of land being sold there very shortly. One of the last actions by South Eastern Health Board was to try and ensure that any money raised from the sale of that land would go into services here locally,” he told radio yesterday.
“However, the local members are not in place now to see that that happens,” he complained.
In response, the HSE said it had advertised this week for four regional managers for offices in Cork, Galway, Kells and Tullamore.
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