Tyrone County Hospital

Tyrone County Hospital is the main hospital in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The hospital has occupied the same site in the town since 1899.Proposed closure, the hospital is facing closure because of a decision of then Health Minister Bairbre de Brún. The Maternity, Paediatric and Intensive Care units have all been closed and children are not allowed to be taken into Accident & Emergency. Because of this, patients face travelling distances of approximately 43km south to the Erne Hospital in Enniskillen (which has a smaller population than Omagh), 57km north to Altnagelvin Area Hospital in Derry, or as far as Craigavon, which is over 80km away. These journeys pose a risk to people requiring urgent treatment. Michael McGimpsey has so far defended the decision.As part of the campaign against the proposals to close the hospital, local GP Kieran Deeny was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly on the single issue of retaining the hospital in the 2003 elections. On 15 October 2005, there was a mass protest outside the hospital, which made television news, both local and national newspapers and radio. On 28 November 2005 there was a large protest in the town centre, with over 30,000 in attendance. All of the town's schools and many shops closed for the event, allowing students and staff to attend. Meetings involving the Sperrin Healthcare Trust are constantly interrupted by campaigners.