Galbraith calls for South Eastern Trust to explore diabetic eye testing at the Downe Hospital
Downpatrick SDLP Councillor Conor Galbraith has written to the South Eastern Health Trust and requested that consideration be given to diabetic eye testing at the Downe Hospital.
Commenting, the Downpatrick councillor has said: “The Downe Hospital is an asset that delivers for the whole community.
“As a local community hospital it is one which we continue to have to work for and work to develop further.
“The Downe Hospital should be a centre of excellence.
“For years residents in East Down have been told that the Downe hospital would be a centre of excellence for the elderly, with particular focus on chronic illnesses. This needs to be developed further.
“We are an ageing population. People are living longer. With this comes a range of conditions that we must be aware of.
“Diabetes is one such condition and affects more and more of us as we age.
“The number of people now being diagnosed with diabetes across the North is facing an unprecedented scale, and is undoubtedly one of the major conditions we must address into the future.
“With 180,000 of our population now diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes we have a rapidly escalating crisis.
“We need to act now to address the conditions that are associated with diabetes.”
Cllr Galbraith added: “With the demographics in the East Down area becoming older, diabetic eye testing would be a vital service that could be delivered locally instead of residents having to travel to Belfast as is the case at present.
“It is an issue of accessibility with little direct public transport to facilities where such testing is undertaken, and maintaining the Downe as a centre of excellence as part of the overall transformation of our health service.
“To me the solution to this is a fairly straightforward one… let’s get this testing undertaken at the Downe.
“The earlier we identify this condition the better.
“I hope that the Trust will take the right decision here and act for all in our community.”
