For several months now Plaid Cymru in Llanelli has been very concerned about the future prospects of Prince Philip Hospital and what the anticipated changes could mean to the people of our town. The announcement this week of the intended closure of a 20 bed acute medical ward, with only a two week consultation period has left people flabbergasted.
This is not a medically lead decision. All the medical consultants within Prince Philip
Hospital are unanimous in
their opposition to this idea.
Cllr Gwyneth Thomas said, “When I mentioned this decision to
the First Minister Carwyn Jones during his visit to Llanelli on Thursday he
looked genuinely surprised that it was happening and said that such a decision
could not be made in this way.”
Clearly due process is not being adhered to. Is this a case
of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing? It doesn’t appear the First Minister is being
ably assisted by our AM Keith Davies in this instance either.
Cllr Dyfrig Thomas said, “Increasingly it is becoming more
and more of an administrative exercise without taking into account the nature
of the area, its population density and its health care needs.
Llanelli has many health problems associated with
poverty. More and more people are living
longer. With stroke and heart attack
patients time is of the essence in ensuring successful treatment. The
population is also increasing locally as a result of all the property
development. The demand for acute
medical care is likely to increase not diminish.”
Already many patients arriving for treatment at Prince
Philip Hospital have to spend several hours, often overnight, in the A & E
department because there are insufficient medical beds available to meet the
demand. Decisions like these further
compromise patient welfare and increase the possibility of the lives of local
people being put at risk.
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