Madam, - I am one of those who has not waited for the Taoiseach's call to have a "sense of duty and community" (The Irish Times, April 10th). I am a widow and in my 84th year. In 1998, with fellow senior citizens, I organised a campaign to secure a community hospital for the elderly of the general Tralee area.
We started our campaign at local authority level and went from that to the local Oireachtas members, to the health board and to successive Ministers for Health.
Seemingly, we convinced them all of the merits of our needs. In May 2000 a community nursing unit as sought by us was provided for in the National Development Plan 2000-2006. This was followed by the establishment of a design team and the obtaining of planning permission for the unit.
When, last June, the Tralee community nursing unit was listed in the Health Service Executive's capital programme we believed that our long wait was over. The HSE would, we were told, take a few weeks "to resolve the issue relating to the revenue cost implications of the project". Ten months later, and with no further progress, we decided to write to the three successive Ministers for Health who met us in the course of our campaign. We told them we feared the HSE was seeking an excuse for delaying or abandoning our project and that the elderly were being kept firmly at the bottom of the priority pile.
We asked them if they, as Ministers familiar with our needs, could do anything about the delay.
These letters were sent by registered post on March 9th. We have confirmation from An Post that each was safely delivered. We received acknowledgments from Ministers Cowen and Martin. But from Ms Harney, Tánaiste and present Minister for Health, no explanation for the delay. Not even an acknowledgment of the receipt of our letter.
Some encouragement to have a "sense of duty and community". - Yours, etc,
ELLEN ROWAN, Chairperson, Senior Citizens' Campaign for a Community Hospital in Tralee, Lohercannon, Tralee, Co Kerry.