Town councillors have urged local people to help them in the fight to save the Tenby Cottage Hospital Minor Injury Unit.

Speaking at Tuesday night's meeting of the town council, Deputy Mayor, Clr. Mrs. Caroline Thomas, who is also secretary of the South East Pembrokeshire Community Health Network (SEPCHN), said that the hospital was in great danger of losing the MIU in light of the recent proposals contained in the Hywel Dda Health Board's consultation document.

As the Hywel Dda plan is only a consultative document at this stage, SEPCHN and now the town council have vowed not to give up the fight to save the MIU.

"We fought to have the hospital and now we have to fight again to keep it and the services that the facility provides," remarked Clr. Mrs. Thomas, who had attended a meeting earlier in the day at New Hedges Village Hall, where a presentation had been given by the Hywel Dda Health Board's director of clinical care, Dr. Iain Robertson-Steel.

Clr. Lawrence Blackhall, who also attended the meeting at New Hedges, said that it was very important that the town council and SEPCHN engage in dialogue with the doctors and GPs at the facility, as any decision on the MIU seemed dependant on whether they wanted to take it on.

He also said that he was a bit perplexed by Dr. Robertson-Steel's old-fashioned views that '£20 kept in a jam jar' would get you a taxi to the nearest hospital and that people should always keep a first aid box at home

Clr. Mrs. Christine Brown said that she was also left confused by some of the points made at the meeting in relation to the Tenby hospital.

"It was said that the Health Board would work with the local GPs to agree on the most appropriate use for the facility... well it's a hospital, what else are we going to do with it?" she commented, while Clr. Will Rossiter agreed with this, believing that unless the Health Board received a favourable response from the doctors and GPs, then the MIU would remain.

Again Clr. Mrs. Thomas urged people to please read the Health Board's document 'Your Health Your Future' and especially the 'consulting our communities' (pages 24 onwards) section which references Tenby, which can be accessed online at http://www.hywelddahb.wales.nhs.uk/Consultation">www.hywelddahb.wales.nhs.uk/Consultation

"A hard copy of the consultation document can also be obtained from the town council offices at Tenby's De Valence Pavilion, while it's vitally important that the questionnaire which is also available is filled in by as many people as possible, otherwise the silent majority will win," explained Clr. Mrs. Thomas.

"We need all the help we can get to save our Tenby Hospital, which serves all of south-east Pembs and we really need to show that people are concerned," she continued, calling for the town council to hold a public meeting on the matter as soon as possible (possibly at Greenhill School, for maximum parking facilities).

"I just feel that people's views, which count the most, are not being listened to at the moment and hopefully a public meeting can show the level of concern in the community at the Health Board's proposals," she added.

A meeting is also being held by the Hywel Dda Health Board, with a chance for town and community councils to have an in-depth discussion on the proposed changes to health services, at the Queen's Hall, Narberth, on Thursday, September 27, from 7 pm.