Letterkenny Hospital protest today - "We need just one hour of your time"

Mary T. Sweeney has appealed for people to come out and protest for just one hour this afternoon at 1pm at Letterkenny University Hospital to show the strength of feeling there is out there regarding the pressures that staff and services are under, on a daily basis.

Speaking to DonegalLive this morning before heading over to the hospital, the main organiser of the Saturday protest said that it was so important that the main political parties were held to account for their ineptitude towards the health services.

"Get out and get your coats on and get over to support Letterkenny Hospital as we need our services to be more accessible," she appealed.

"This is above and beyond politics and someone has to turn on the switch to highlight what is going on, when it comes to the delivery of health services to our community. We need to come together. The HSE system is not working, the strategies they are using are not working and we have 11 minor injury clinics below in Monaghan, but none in Donegal, that would have immediately alleviated the pressure on the ED," she said.  

"We needed somebody to turn on that switch and that switch has now been turn on. They are all now in a panic, the big political parties with money," she added.

For her party Aontú, which has one Deputy in the Dail, this is non political, above politics and is about community as it involved people's physical and mental health.    

A protest in also expected to take place at Sligo University Hospital, where patients from south Donegal attend 

She has also appealed for those planning to attend, to make some home made placards and ensure that their voices are heard. 

Protests are also expected to take place north of the border.

The full list includes: 

Protests will take place in Letterkenny University Hospital, Our Lady's Hospital, Navan, Limerick University Hospital, Cork University Hospital, Kerry University Hospital, Galway hospital, Mayo General Hospital, Sligo University Hospital, Causeway Coast, Colraine, Craigavon Hospital, Daisy Hill Hospital, Monaghan Hospital, Cavan Hospital, Mullingar Hospital, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda, Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, Naas Hospital & Wexford General Hospital.

Some of the home made placards that have been made in advance of today's protests around the country.

All protests will be outside the hospitals at 1pm, except in Limerick where a march will start at 11am at City Hall, Merchants Quay, Limerick.