‘Fake News’ on the Cottage Hospital issue is something we can really do without
Dear Sir,
It is with regret that I feel compelled to correct the statements attributed to Senator Nash in last week’s edition, under the head line “Publish the Cottage Plan - Nash”.
“Fake News” we can live without.
Mr Nash seems oblivious to the contradictory nature of his own demand, while on one hand calling for the publication of the long term future plan of the Cottage while on the other re-stating his false claims for credit in ‘securing the long term future of the Cottage’.
The editor will remember that when Mr. Nash and Mr O’Dowd make such claims in early 2013, our Campaign group wrote directly to the Minister of Health’s Oireachtas office, querying why a public consultation process, still very much open & on-going, could have the final decision made known prior to that consultation process completing, and what part the named TDs had in “securing” that ending.
The Minister responded emphatically as follows “no permanent plans will be put in place until the current consultation process in completed and a decision is taken on the long term future of the Cottage hospital.”
Later in the article Mr Nash states, that both he and Fergus O’Dowd had also secured the upgrading of ‘state of the art’ works to St. Marys and Boyne View, which was announced, via an especially facilitated live on-air interview with the then two TDs, conveniently days before the Cottage Public Rally. The Rally was organised to demand the retention of Long Term Nursing care at the Cottage.
A ‘new 100 bed facility’ - as Fergus O’Dowd repeated in an onstreet LMFM interview immediately after the Rally.
Mr Nash is correct in stating that the transitional care now available at the facility was and indeed remains a much needed service.
Mr Nash is correct that the service is under resourced. It has been since established by the HSE while he was in office. It is nice to see (better late than never), that the lack of resource, is now of concern to him.
He is incorrect that the provision of such a service was a ‘success’, as the provision of one service, at the expense of another, namely removing long term care is anything but a ‘success’.
Our entire Campaign Committee and many members of the Mid-Louth area attended the Cottage Public Rally, to lend support. No one I met on the day carried a placard demanding the removal of Long term Care, and the replacement with Transitional care. Anyone care to contradict me?
Neither service is mutually exclusive. Both are, were and will obviously be needed now and for future.
Mr Nash is also incorrect, or perhaps is suffering selective memory loss, in his claims of ‘securing’ the St Mary’s upgrade. The plan to upgrade St. Mary’s was a HSE plan, formulised prior to the last FG/Lab administration coming into office. The project was not intended to begin, until after the FG/Lab administration ended. Neither Sen Nash or Deputy O’Dowd can therefore have ‘secured’ any part of the project plan.
They were both simply made aware of the plan, and decided to use, perhaps exploit, that information to their own mutual benefit.
I note Mr Nash is also careful not to call the upgrade a ‘ new 100 bed facility’. There will never be a ‘ new 100 facility’. That was never the plan.
If/when the plan is completed, the upgraded facility, will house less than 100 beds which will include the existing beds in St. Marys, those in Boyne View, and partial replacement for those now closed by FG/Lab administration at the Cottage.
In Mid-Louth we can only look on in despair, as we know that St. Joseph’s will not receive any attention until after the St. Marys project is completed, if ever.
We have already suffered the setback of learning, though only after six letters to the HSE, that the monies that we were promised as ‘already allocated’ for upgrade works at St. Joseph’s had not in fact been allocated at all.
As to the 67% of residents, Mr Nash references, that returned to their own homes after a stay in the cottage, I would like to congratulate all those involved, who are much more deserving of credit.
It seems the rest of us must make do with, “Lies, Damn lies and statistics”. With Regret John Rafferty Chairman (for as long as its takes!) SAVE St. Joseph’s Campaign Group - Ardee