In 1839 by public subscription a medical service and dispensary commenced off Southgate in Pontefract, over the years it went from strength to strength, all along being funded by subscriptions and donations from the people and businesses of Pontefract and the surrounding district. Like many hospitals and infirmaries across the country it transferred to become part of the National Health Service in 1948.
It went from strength to strength and was something that the people of the five towns depended on at birth, through illness and accident and through to the end of their lives. At its peak PGI had over 450 beds and a variety of associated services.
When our MP was elected in 1997 one of her first ministerial responsibilities was to set up a series of health authorities including our local one and their first act was to develop a plan that would have closed the two district general hospitals and built a new one located somewhere near to Normanton. The plan was amended and people breathed easier as PGI ceased to be mentioned in the new plans. So far so good until people started to realise that whilst PGI was not mentioned, other locations were and the reason for not mentioning our hospital was that it was to be disposed of.
In 2005 there was a broad based campaign for health not housing for PGI and on the eve of the 2005 general election the local MPs promised that the hospital was "safe in their hands".
Shortly after there was a launch for a new facility to be built on the PGI site, modern revolutionary facilities with 90% of the capability of the existing PGI.
At about that time our MP became Minister for Housing, one of her tasks was to see to the release of government land including Health Service land for housing.
The new cottage hospital opens in 2010, it will have not 450 but 115 beds and will occupy a third of the site (which was publicly donated and supported from 1839) the remainder of the site will be made available by the Mid Yorkshire Health Authority for housing.
The new hospital is a PFI and will be rented back to the Health Service by Balfour Beatty giving them revenue for 30 Years and then will be handed back in 2040.
They will give us back a thirty year old facility with less beds than PGI had in 1940 on a site with little or no possibility for growth. We will shortly hear of WMDC plans linked to this governments growth points programme to add up to 2000 new homes a year across the five towns and the population growth will test the infrastructure to its limits and the new PGI Cottage Hospital may not cope.
The people of the five towns put their faith in their MPs to look after and provide for the future. The four local Parliamentary Seats have been in Labour Hands since the 1930s............ Safe in their hands?
What do you think?
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