Local grassroots campaigners across this county were instrumental in securing the new acute hospital in Enniskillen. Despite that achievement, the new hospital was not built with public money but under a Private-Finance Initiative (PFI) as such, it must now show a profit for the private sector consortium who will operate it.
The management of the new hospital by private sector interests will involve the transfer of jobs from the health service. This is being done to minimise costs and maximise profits and will mean pay cuts for low-paid staff and attacks to the level of services. There is no reason for private sector interests to be involved – the bond rates are far below the profits guaranteed to privateers.
The PFI deal is likely to include more stealth charges, e.g. paid parking, but it may also see a dramatic increase in consultants practicing privately and there is the continued threat that the hospital as a whole could be simply privatised (with the loss of acute services). We urgently need politicians who are capable of fighting to protect our hospital services.
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