‘This isn’t the end on hospital downgrading’
18/07/2012
Calls for the Health Minister to front up and take responsibility
Following the failure of the vote of no confidence on the Health Minister, Plaid Cymru has vowed to continue to protect the NHS in Wales.
Plaid Cymru’s Health spokesperson Elin Jones said:
“While I accept that the vote of no confidence in the Assembly has fallen, the issue of hospital downgrading is far from over in my eyes. All across Wales, people are worried about their hospital services, and with good reason. They do not know whether their A&E service is about to close, whether they can give birth in their local hospital, or if they will be asked to drive dozens of miles to receive life-saving treatment that used to be available in their locality. This is not about playing politics; it is about taking responsibility for important decisions that affect us all.
“Today, we invited the Health Minister to appear before the committee to clear her name, but she failed to take that opportunity. It is clear from the correspondence that the Welsh Government, local health boards, and the NHS confederation each played a significant part in the drafting of the report on hospital reconfiguration, yet the Minister has denied this. It is astounding that the Health Minister is willing to take the credit for the opening of new services, but fails to take responsibility for the closure of old ones.
“The Health Minister has survived a vote of no confidence by the skin of her teeth. She now needs to front up and be held responsible for the political decisions that she is accountable for.”