The public of Fermanagh called for people to stand up for local services

FROM healthcare to infrastructure, investment to jobs, Fermanagh has always been at the back of the queue, but the county’s residents will no longer tolerate this neglect.
That is the message of the ever-growing campaign movement building in the province, and it will be the focus of a series of articles in this newspaper over the coming weeks.
The Save Our Acute Services (SOAS) group, formed in response to the life-threatening removal of emergency general surgery from SWAH, remains focused on that mission.
However, through their work, the volunteers have gathered evidence of the many other ways the county’s residents are abandoned and forgotten.
“We are uniquely focused on ensuring that we have equal access (to emergency surgeries) – and only equal access, no better than anyone else, just like everyone else – and we are committed to restoring that and strengthen,” said a SOAS spokesperson.
“While we are committed to doing that, you cannot help but notice that Fermanagh is being neglected.”
They pointed to job losses such as the closure of the BT Contact Center, which employed 300 local people, and the omission of Fermanagh from the All-Ireland rail plan as notable examples.
Other areas of neglect include roads and public transport, access to emergency care and mental health care – the list goes on.
“There has been deliberate neglect of this area, but Fermanagh will not be forgotten,” they said. “We are committed to tackling the problem, standing up to it and fighting back.”
The latest example of ‘Forgotten Fermanagh’ is the publication of Stormont’s draft program for government, which is currently out for public consultation, according to SOAS. The closing date is November 4.
SOAS notes that the draft program had “nothing for Fermanagh” and is encouraging the local community to respond to the consultation to make their voices heard.
“The consultation does not suit Fermanagh. It is not intended to discuss the issues of Fermanagh, it is not helpful in any way to the people of Fermanagh,” said a spokesperson for SOAS.
Healthcare, especially emergency care, is one of the areas where the draft program is failing the province.
“There are no medical conditions other than waiting lists,” the spokesperson said.
“Of course you would like to see waiting lists reduced, but that should not take the place of answering the question about emergency operations.”
Another area that SOAS has emphasized and left out of the program is the environment.
“There’s a chapter in there that’s about the environment and it focuses uniquely on Lough Neagh, as if Lough Neagh is the only big lake in the county. We have one, the green algae also exist here,” they said.
“The foresight in the document is limited so again it does not represent Fermanagh.”
Agriculture, mental health, the emergency and primary care crisis – with the GP shortage particularly affecting rural areas such as Fermanagh – and infrastructure and public transport are some of the other areas not taken into account in the document taken into account the experiences of the residents of Fermanagh. .
SOAS has made templates available on its Facebook page for locals to replicate when submitting their responses to the consultation.
They are urging people to respond by email, explaining that the questions in the consultation do not reflect the issues here.
“You should let them know your opinion in a regular email. Make sure it counts,” the spokesperson said.

Posted: 12:16 PM, November 1, 2024