'The people in Fermanagh will definitely suffer' A retired consultant warns of 'serious consequences' if emergency general surgery is removed from an Enniskillen hospital
Health officials warn that a lack of staff surgeons at the South West Acute Hospital means the service is fragile
Prof Varma was involved in the establishment of the hospital, which first opened its doors to patients in 2012.He fears that if emergency general surgery was moved to Altnagelvin in Londonderry, lives would be unnecessarily lost. "It has been shown in the medical literature, the longer the journey to a hospital, the greater the morbidity and the mortality.Prof Varma added it was "not an excuse that people are suddenly resigning" and accused the Western Trust of failing to recruit staff in a timely manner.Jill Weir, a branch secretary of the Unison union, said the fate of emergency surgery and its potential impact on the rest of the hospital was very concerning.