Mayor calls on Minister to make Altnagelvin plans clear

The Mayor, Brenda Stevenson, has called on the Health Minister Edwin Poots to make his plans for Altnagelvin clear after he said the opening of a new radiotherapy unit at the hospital will be delayed by up to six months if cuts to his health budget are pushed through.

By Kevin Mullan

Published 5th Sep 2014, 17:19 BST

Mrs Stevenson referred to “unhelpful speculation” that the unit could be delayed.

But in the film above you can watch Mr Poots baldly state that this will happen if the savings are pushed through.

The Mayor said it was imperative that the Minister prioritises reviewing his budget and prioritising these much needed services at Altnagelvin.

“The people of the North West have campaigned tirelessly for a radiotherapy unit at Altnagelvin and every effort must be made to ensure the department delivers on its promise to deliver this essential service.

“This ongoing speculation is unhelpful and the Minister needs to urgently review his budgets to ensure the North West region does not, once again, bear the blunt of these budget cuts,” she commented.