Lobby groups urged to unite against treaty over downgrading

HOSPITAL CAMPAIGNERS:LOBBY GROUPS opposed to the downgrading of 23 hospitals around the State have been urged to unite in an anti-Lisbon Treaty campaign.

The call was made by the Roscommon Hospital Action Committee which last night contacted all the hospital protests groups on the issue.

The Save Sligo Cancer Services group discussed the call at a meeting in Sligo last night, and other groups are expected to declare their position in the coming days.

Una Ní Chuinn, spokeswoman for the Roscommon committee, accepted that it seemed ludicrous to link the treaty with the hospitals issue, but said it was the only way to get the Government's attention.

"We fully accept that this treaty has nothing to do with the health services, but we make no apology for trying to make a point to the Government in this way, or for embarrassing the Government if that is what it takes."

Another Roscommon group member, Paula McNamara, said: "Nobody will die if we vote No to the Lisbon Treaty, but people will die if our hospital is downgraded."

Ms Ní Chuinn criticised newly-promoted Minister of State and local TD Michael Finneran for failing to attend a public meeting attended by almost 600 people in Roscommon on Monday night.

She claimed Mr Finneran had failed to attend "because he did not want to dirty his bib" before the Ministers of State were appointed. Before the general election Mr Finneran had promised to stand with the people on the issue, and if the Government did not stand with him he would not stand with the Government.

Mr Finneran said yesterday he had not attended the meeting for a "very simple reason".

"When the meeting was called, it was called under the auspices of the hospital action committee, and in the last general election they failed to give me support on the hospital," he told RTÉ radio.

"They actually supported an independent candidate 40 miles away from the hospital and I didn't feel that I had to explain anything to them."