Hospital petition seeks 10,000 names

A PETITION has been launched in Tralee to collect 10,000 signatures in support of a campaign for a local community hospital.

A campaign group is to meet Health Minister Mary Harney later this month on the issue. It is planning to present the signatures to her as an expression of the anger and disappointment on the hospital issue which has been going on for well over a decade, a spokesperson said.

The 50-bed hospital building has been completed but the HSE is planning to use almost half the beds for rehabilitation purposes rather than for elderly people in the Tralee area.