Galloway Community Hospital Action Group members had a busy few day last week.
On Tuesday, Gordon Baird, Janice Mayall and Angela Armstrong gave online evidence to members of the Scottish Parliament Health, Social Care and Sport Committee as part of the inquiry into healthcare in remote and rural areas.
They were accompanied by colleagues from Caithness and Skye who experience similar problems to those in Wigtownshire.
GCHAG members were pleased to find South of Scotland MSP Emma Harper on the panel as she has met them on many occasions to discuss issues such as cancer pathways and lack of maternity services since the closure of the maternity unit in Stranraer in 2018. She has had the opportunity to understand the problems here.
Subjects covered by them included frequency of births in lay-bys en route to the labour ward in Dumfries; patients travelling long distances for cancer treatment in Edinburgh by-passing excellent facilities in Glasgow en route; lack of expenses for patients travelling to distant hospitals unlike people in Highlands and Islands who do have that facility; plus, several other related issues.
The discussions were open and frank and allowed for them to contact committee members afterwards if required.
GCHAG members feel passionately that they wish to see an advocate appointed to understand the inequity of services in rural and remote areas and to be able to speak for them in an unprejudiced and fair way to our politicians and managers who run our health service.
Hopefully the inquiry will result in this very important appointment.
On Wednesday, eight GCHAG members met Dumfries and Galloway health board Chairman Nick Morris on one of his regular visits to the Galloway Community Hospital.
The subjects discussed included the many job vacancies in the area and the attempt to recruit consultants, GPs and midwives, while recognising that there is a shortage of these professionals nationally.
Also included on the agenda were recent Right Care Right Place consultations, maternity services and cancer pathways.
Members expressed their frustration at the failure of management and consecutive health secretaries to recognise that Wigtownshire is not in the east of Scotland and also about repeated poorly-attended public consultations with no significant benefits.
One member repeated frequently: “What we need are doctors, nurses and healthcare workers to care for the sick people of this area.
This is becoming a mantra for GCHAG members.
