Mark H Durkan: Political deadlock impacting on Health Service

As continued political disagreement impacts efforts to deal with chronic problems within the Health Service, SDLP Health Spokesperson and Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan has called for the two Executive parties to take the politics out of health. He said, “Not too long ago, we were all asked to take the politics out of healthcare. We were willing to give the Health Minister space and time to implement Bengoa’s recommendations but it has become increasingly clear that meaningful action has being put on the long finger. “Now that the Executive is on the edge of collapse we must ask whose interests are being served by the political deadlock because it is certainly not patients and frontline staff. “With no Executive, no Assembly and political focus now on an election, what is being done to tackle waiting lists, increase the number of GPs and increase the availability of acute services? The answer is nothing. “The two Executive parties have completely lost sight of the very real impact that their dysfunction is having on people’s lives. While they continue bickering, cancer patients are having to travel long distances for treatment, people in chronic pain are waiting months to be seen and those ready to leave hospital cannot do so because there is no care package waiting to support them. “We agreed to take the politics out of Health, perhaps it is now time the DUP and Sinn Féin did the same.”