12 February 2026
SDLP Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Group Leader Councillor Adam Gannon has said that it is unacceptable people in Fermanagh are expected to face up to 90 minute journeys for emergency healthcare treatment.
He was speaking after an SDLP Assembly Question to Health Minister Mike Nesbitt revealed the average journey time for patients between the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) and Altnagelvin Hospital since the removal of emergency general surgery.
The average time in 2025 was 1 hour, 26 minutes and 42 seconds.
Councillor Adam Gannon said:
“These figures clearly set out the time it is taking to transport patients, many of them in emergency situations, from the SWAH to Derry. We warned that this would be the result of the removal of emergency general surgery, and nowhere else in the North would an up to 90 minute travel time be deemed acceptable.
“Imagine being a patient, or having a parent, partner or child in need of emergency healthcare treatment and being told they would need to travel for nearly an hour and a half to receive it. This is the reality for every single person living in the greater Fermanagh area. The fear and anguish that this causes cannot be underestimated, compounding people’s stress at what can be one of the most challenging times of their lives.
“People in this area are not asking for special treatment – we are asking for fair treatment. That must include immediate healthcare provision that does not involve travelling for this length of time. The SDLP wants to see our healthcare service transformed to provide equal access to healthcare for every part of the North, including rural areas, and the SWAH must be at the heart of those plans from the Health Minister.”