In the first step of the campaign for the upgrade of Ennis General Hospital to a model three hospital, an online petition has been launched.
Since their first foray into the public eye on January 7th, the members of the Friends of Ennis Hospital action group have been actively working together to progress a plan for the future of the county hospital.
An online petition which can be signed here, is their first part of the plan. Members of this group expect it not only have public support, but be welcomed and embraced by political representatives as an acceptable way forward for the local hospital.
A statement released to The Clare Herald by the Friends of Ennis Hospital highlighted their view that the time for change is now. “It is well established that there is not the political will in some quarters to re-establish the A&E in Ennis as a standalone project. Phrases such as ‘centre of excellence’, and ‘best medical practice’ are used to justify the downgrading and eventual closure of the Accident & Emergency department in Ennis.
It continued, “The public in general have become disillusioned with the political system, having marched on numerous occasions in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s the people of Clare found themselves ignored and over ruled while our hospital was taken apart bit by bit. We believe the time for change is now.
“We have reached a new era in politics, an era when social media can make or break a campaign or a career. An era where feet on the street is only one part of a greater campaign to improve our hospital”.
Prior to the January 7th protest, there were four members of this action group, Angela Coll, Michael Guilfoyle, Paul Whitmore and Deirdre Culligan. Since then, Mayor of Ennis Cllr Ann Norton, Cllr Ian Lynch, Paula McNamara, Siobhan Mungovan and Sean Morgan have since joined.