Kieran McCarthy MLA said: “In recent times there have been reports of reductions in the number of nurses and cuts in ambulance cover here. Frontline health services are vitally important and must not be reduced. We need to start ending segregation in Northern Ireland so that cash can be released to protect vital health provisions.
“We have duplicated services here along with massive lost opportunity costs, and £1 billion is wasted annually on segregation. This must stop and the Stormont Executive must produce a coherent plan to end this serious inefficiency now.
“We have recently heard that the ambulance service could face a 70,000 hour cut and we could also be facing dramatic reductions in the number of nurses here. The public are extremely worried about the prospect of health cuts and the Executive should urgently put in place a plan to free-up cash wasted on division in our society.
“The challenge of ending segregation is one which the Executive must meet. In order to ensure quality sustainable services for Northern Ireland in the future, cash simply must not be wasted on maintaining division.”
ENDS