April 6th 2006

"Health chiefs are behaving like a bag of snakes."

Emyr Williams Daily Post

Gwilym Euros Roberts the chairman of the hospital defence committee was left fuming this week when the chief executive of Blaenau Ffestiniog's War Memorial Hospital admitted she envisaged  there would be no inpatients beds in three years.
A public meeting and rally last november attracted more than 1000 people after Gwynedd Local Health Board announced plans to axe beds at the War Memorial Hospital. Last December the Health Board voted to reduce the hospital beds from 17 to 12.
But officers promised the situation would be reviewed by a local team on an annual basis.
Mr Roberts said that the stand now taken by chief executive Grace Lewis Parry was totally unacceptable.
When asked if her vision was to have no beds at all in in three years she categorically replied "Yes", said Mr Roberts.
" We are calling a public meeting on April 24 when the next step in the bid to save the hospital's beds will be discussed.
Here we have a fine example of health chiefs operating like  a bag of snakes in relation to a very emotional issue."