The Ulster Unionist Party's health spokesperson has hit out at the DUP and Alliance, accusing them of attempting to score political points over the recent pressures facing the health service.
Earlier this week, DUP Health Committee member Diane Dodds described the Department of Health's plan for winter pressures as "woeful" and "utterly inadequate" and said that "the plan has all the hallmarks of a copy and paste from last year’s plan which also failed."
Meanwhile, Alliance health spokesperson Danny Donnelly has today written to the Health Minister Mike Nesbitt calling on him to address the Assembly next week to discuss the ongoing winter pressures in the health system.
This comes after figures from New Year's Eve showed more than half of the nearly 900 people who attended emergency departments waited more than 12 hours and reports of some patients waiting up to 19 hours in ambulances outside emergency departments.
North Down MLA Alan Chambers accused MLAs of "commenting on an issue that they evidently don't entirely understand."
“The problems currently being experienced in our health service are currently also being mirrored in every other part of the UK. Indeed, only earlier this week the Welsh Ambulance Service took the major step of declaring a critical incident," he said.
“At a time when everyone should be doing everything they can to get through this period, it is regrettable that Parties such as the DUP and Alliance Party are instead attempting to score political points.
“In recent days the Health Minister has been visiting Emergency Departments, engaging with staff and holding a series of meetings with a variety of stakeholders to further explore every possible step to help lessen the intense pressures at present. That stands in total contrast to the often poorly judged tone of statements being circulated by other MLAs."
Mr Chambers said that this winter was always going to be "incredibly difficult", and the onset of such high rates of flu have further exacerbated the challenge.
“The fundamental answer involves sustained long term investment in strengthening capacity to deal with growing demand for care. Unfortunately, this year’s wholly inadequate health budget provided no opportunity for such investment. It is noteworthy that the MLAs who are currently being most vocal and critical about the challenges in our hospitals are also those who most enthusiastically voted for that budget," he said.
"I would echo the call by senior clinicians to those eligible for the flu jab who have not availed of it to date, to consider taking up the offer of this vital protection as a matter of urgency."
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