MINISTER OF State for Health Jimmy Devins joined thousands of protesters at a silent candlelit vigil outside Sligo General Hospital last night to express his support for the campaign to retain cancer services there.
Despite the Government's determination to press ahead with the downgrading of breast cancer services at the hospital the Minister, a Sligo-based TD, insisted that "the battle is not over".
Mr Devins joined politicians from all parties who led over 3,000 protesters in a silent march from the local institute of technology to the main hospital entrance, where the protesters were applauded by staff and patients standing at windows.
While Minister for Health Mary Harney has expressed her determination to proceed with plans for eight centres of excellence, Mr Devins said a special case could be made for Sligo on the basis of the standards of services already in place there and because of the "geographical isolation" of the region.
He said he believed the pending report of the Health Information Quality Authority on the standard of existing services, would boost the case for Sligo to be made a satellite or "network-managed" centre, linked to Galway.
Over 4,000 people have signed an online petition, established just two days ago, in support of the campaign to retain breast cancer services in Sligo.
Several cancer patients took part in last night's protest.
Hours after undergoing her seventh session of chemotherapy at Sligo hospital, Catriona McGoldrick from Coolaney was back at the hospital to support the campaign.
Ms McGoldrick said that under the Health Service Executive's plan she would be forced to make the two-hour trip to Galway every day for six weeks to receive radiotherapy once her chemotherapy is finished.
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