SWAT would like to respond to the letter in the Western Telegraph from Roger Burns.
SWAT has been in existence since 2005 and was created to protect the people of Pembrokeshire from unwanted attacks on the hospital services available close to the homes of Pembrokeshire residents.
The Hywel Dda Health Board administrators have been brought in to do the same job that their predecessors were asked to do in 2006 i.e. “centralize hospital services in Carmarthen”.
There is absolutely no rhyme or reason why this should happen.
There is also a significant risk that if we roll over and allow this to happen that in the near future it will be decided that if people are happy to travel to Carmarthen then why not just have one big hospital on the Morrison site near Swansea.
We believe the decisions of the board in January 2013 were not based on any scientific or meritocratic criteria but simply because there has been a long term plan to centralize services in Carmarthen for many years.
It is not a sensible decision based on fairness, equality or safety for all Hywel Dda residents.
A safe, fair, equitable and sustainable solution, not only for Hywel Dda residents, but also for the whole of Wales can be found on the SWAT website www.pembswat.org.uk .
The SWAT solution takes into consideration access for all within one hour to a proper accident and emergency department and fully functioning district general hospital, and for pregnant women, access within 20 minutes to a consultant obstetric department.
These are the basic human rights of the population of a “First World Country” and should not be denied to the people of Pembrokeshire. African countries are striving to make hospital and maternity care more accessible to reduce the horrendous mortality rates for mothers and babies.
Do we really want to go in the opposite direction and make it less safe for our mothers and babies?
CHRIS OVERTON
Chairman SWAT
Consultant Obstetrician
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