Politicans urge HSE to negotiate with GPs

Local politicians are this week urging the HSE to go back to the drawing board and negotiate with GPs in order to ensure the town and its environs secures the very best primary care facilities for the people, following a presentation on the care centre from HSE Regional Manager Joe Ruane last week. However, Fianna Fáil Councillor Kevin "Boxer" Moran remains upbeat about the project and insists it will go ahead. Deputy Mary O"Rourke said this week that local public representatives at the meeting on Friday were very fortwright and told the HSE that they had to make a deal with the doctors. 'This was for people who needed services, not for offices. It"s back to Alice in Wonderland. We are two years and four months on from when Mary Harney came and granted the money and we are no further on. The doctors are being blamed but they got fed up and made their own arrangements,' she said. Deputy O"Rourke added that she had written to Mr Ruane this week to tell him that she wouldn"t attend any more such meetings unless they were held in public. She said everybody there had been elected by democracy and were entitled to be held up to public scrutiny. Fine Gael Senator Nicky McFadden also said the project had to have the GPs on board. 'It"s a pure disaster. I am questioning whether the project will go ahead at all. I don"t know how you can have a primary care centre without the GPs. I don"t see how we"ll have anything extra,' she said. She also expressed concern that there was no handout given to the public representatives and said no minutes were taken of the meeting to keep a record of what was said on the matter. Her party colleague Cllr Mark Cooney said: 'It would be better if the HSE did not proceed at the moment, they should only go ahead with something that"s going to work. They intend to proceed with the planning application later this year. In my view this is not the way to do it. It will be more modern facilities, but it"s still not what we need.' Independent Councillor Austin Berry said people were sick and tired of it all and said last week"s meeting was old hat and it was the same issue that was being talked about for the last nine years. He also questioned whether the project would ever go ahead and expressed concern about the possible sale of the St Vincent"s site, which he raised at last week"s meeting. He said: 'I"m disgusted at the way it has turned out. We should all condemn them. They are being disgracefully dishonest with the general public, if the doctors gave the go ahead tomorrow we would have another excuse from the HSE.' Cllr Berry also agreed with Deputy Mary O"Rourke that future meetings should be held in public. Mayor of Athlone Sinn Féin"s Paul Hogan said there was genuine concern from all public representatives at the meeting and said: 'This project has to be advanced as soon as possible. There will be essential services in the health campus that people are travelling for at the moment. The HSE should subsidise the GPs.' Labour"s Ray Lennon said he wanted the best facilities for the people of Athlone and wanted the doctors involved. 'We want a top class primary care unit, we shouldn"t have to settle for second best,' he said. He added that what was between the HSE and the GPs in Athlone could be resolved for the betterment of the town and the surrounding areas. 'I would love to see the HSE going back the the GPs, perhaps they need someone to broker a deal. Athlone is growing and we want a primary care facility that will be there for the next 20 to 30 years,' said Cllr Lennon. He pointed out that 95% of people"s health and social care needs can be met with primary care facilities. 'They can go without GP services and go the €22m route but I don"t know if that"s right. Hopefully they"ll sit down with the doctors to get the best health service for the people of Athlone. We must get the best primary care service for Athlone and that"s a €34m allocation and the GPs.' Cllr Kevin "Boxer" Moran was more upbeat than most of his colleagues and insisted the primary care centre will go ahead. 'I"m still positive. I hear all my colleagues on the radio saying it"s disgraceful. I am frustrated and annoyed that the doctors aren"t coming on board but Joe Ruane pointed out it"s not about the doctors, there are a number of other services,' he said. He added that Mr Ruane told the politicians at Friday"s meeting that he would meet with them again in three months for a further update. Cllr Moran said Mr Ruane was doing his job and it was Mary Harney that the politicians needed to go after. Cllr Moran also said there was always a possibility that there could be consultation with the GPs down the line and said they got fed up of waiting after nine years. He said his priority at the moment was to make sure the project got to the planning stage and then he would be onto every Minister and TD in the country to ensure the money was there for the project. The HSE said in a statement this week that it is still committed to the project and hopes to have it complete by 2011.