The Socialist Party in Limerick has presented 5,000 signatures on petitions to the Health Service Executive demanding the retention of A&E services in Limerick at St John’s Hospital, in Ennis and in Nenagh.

Richard Manton, Gary Daly, Cian Prendiville and Cian McNamara from the Limerick Socialist Party handing in petitions to the HSE with 5,000 signatures.The petitions demand that St John's, Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals maintain their A+E services

When handing in the petitions to a Health Service Executive spokesperson at its Catherine Street Office, Socialist Party representative, Cian Prendiville, also asked about the Teamwork MS report, which contains the plans relating to the closing the casualty departments mentioned.

“Why is it that the report, which was first leaked on July 17, 2007, and was meant to be published by August 2007 has still not been made public one year on? Brendan Drumm in on record as promising its publication by December. Why the delay?” Mr Prenderville said.

A Health Service Executive spokesperson said that they could not comment on the future of St John’s Hospital because it is a “voluntary hospital” but said that the “target date for [the publication of] that report is at the end of August this year”.

“Health Service Executive funding for St John’s has been paid and will be paid as far as we are aware. No decisions have been made as yet,” she said.

He added that handing in the petitions is just one element of what it hoped will become a large scale campaign against health cuts and co-location plans.

“The Health Service Executive is unlikely to give up on its agenda of centralisation and cutbacks without a fight. Petitions can be a first step, but what is needed is for people to come along to the upcoming health forum on July 29 and use it as a launching pad for a local action group.”

The upcoming public health forum, organised by the Campaign for a Real Public Health Service (CRPHS) is on at 7.45pm on July 29 in Pery’s Hotel on Glentworth Street.

‘Stop the Cuts—Save St John’s A&E, Stop Co-location at the Regional’ will be addressed by local consultant, Dr Gerry Burke; chairperson of the Ennis Hospital Action Group, Ciaran O’Dea and Socialist Party representative and convenor of the CRPHS, Michael Murphy. The Nenagh Hospital

Mr Murphy said that the forum is open to all those “who want to hear about the health crisis and cuts in the mid-west, and those interested in building a campaign to stop them”.

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