Statement by TUV party chairman Cusher councillor Keith Ratcliffe:
“I am dismayed by the loss of emergency surgery at Daisy Hill, an announcement which means that people will have to travel over 20 miles to Craigavon Area Hospital. Many people within the constituency of Newry and Armagh will now have to travel considerable distance for life-saving treatment and I have no doubt that in these scenarios time is of the essence and the extra few miles could be critical. This move will be particularly severe on those who live in isolated parts of the constituency.
“The continual chipping away at Daisy Hill for years has left us in a situation where many people believe that it will eventually become little more than a health centre. The concerns of the local population have been repeatedly ignored and it seems to me that for all the talk of consultations and the like decisions are made long before the views, needs and interests of people are considered.”