A SINN Féin MP and former nursing union chairwoman has claimed that the health service in Northern Ireland is in "decay" and would be "better off in an independent Ireland". 

Speaking at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis in Athlone, Pat Cullen stressed that such service would be "free at the point of access", and would paid for by "progressive taxation". 

She was one of a number of local political voices who spoke on topics such as health, infrastructure, farm subsidies and transgender rights at the party's annual conference. 

"In the last 10 years the idea of a new, united Ireland has gone from being an aspiration to a living project," said Mrs. Cullen, who is a former chair of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). 

"At every level of society, the topic of reunification is on people's lips. Now, more than ever, people are taking part in a conversation about a changed constitutional future. 

"What would our health service look like, or our education system, or our rural way of life?  

"As a registered nurse and a former leader of the largest union for nursing in the world, I know our health service would be better off in an independent Ireland, where we make our decisions based on the needs of all our people. 

"In a new Republic, under a Sinn Féin-led government, our health service would be free at the point of access, paid for by progressive taxation. 

"Ireland's health service would ensure all our citizen are catered for, and all our workers are valued with fair pay and safe working conditions."

Mrs. Cullen blamed the Conservative government for "decay" of the NHS.

"Our health system in the north is in a state of decay," she continued. 

"For 14 years, the Tory government ransacked our public services, starving them of the funding needed, showing time and again that they are not interested in the needs of the people of this island. 

"There is a better way. In a new Ireland, we will control our own affairs, invest in our services and value all our workers. 

"The British government will not control our destiny. Decisions will be taken here at home, in the interests of all the people who share our island."

Also addressing the Ard Fheis was Sinn Féin MLA Áine Murphy.

She said that farmers are facing an uncertain future due to changes to EU funding post-Brexit.

"We are currently facing a period of reduced public spending, exacerbated by uncertainty over replacement EU funding beyond 2025," Ms. Murphy said. 

"During the Brexit referendum, we were assured that the North of Ireland wouldn't be financially disadvantaged. We were promised pound for pound funding. 

"However, Brexit has led to a significant reduction in financial support. The British government pledged to replace these funds through their shared prosperity fund. 

"As our Finance Minister Dr. Caoimhe Archibald has pointed out, the Single Farm Payment falls way short of the previous EU funding levels, and it remains unclear if this funding will continue beyond March 2025."

Ms. Murphy continued: "Rural communities have long benefited from a secure, multi-annual EU funding package, that emphasised local decision-making from the bottom up. 

"In contrast, the shared prosperity fund is neither rural proofed or equality proofed, and is managed by the British Government without the involvement of locally elected ministers or MLAs."
 
Enniskillen Councillor Dermot Browne called for the development of public transport networks in rural Fermanagh. 

"As a councillor representing a rural constituency, I see every day the impact that our underdeveloped public transport system is having on our rural communities," Councillor Browne said. 

"Public transport is used by people to attend medical appointments, travel to work and to visit friends and family.

"Unfortunately, places like rural Fermanagh have a severe lack of rural transport, and this has made it impossible for rural dwellers to access the services and amenities that they rely on every day. 

"In my constituency, it wouldn't be unusual for areas to see, at most, one or two buses per day, and and it would be rare to see a bus past 6pm. 

"Try and imagine what that's like for an elderly or disabled person who has an appointment with the nearest health centre 20 miles away, or a young person trying to get home in the evening when they don't drive.

"The lack of public transport signifies a real inequality among our rural people who live in those communities. The lack of access to public transport is symptomatic of other inequalities faced by rural communities, as we have also seen issues with accessing healthcare, education, and economic opportunities. 

"Investing in public transport is a prerequisite if we want to improve access to any of the rest."

Erne East Councillor Noeleen Hayes called for an end to a temporary ban on the private sale and supply of puberty-suppressing hormones (puberty blockers). 

"Transgender, which includes non-binary of all ages, are facing a huge increase in transphobia, abuse, hate and exclusion across Ireland and indeed across the Western world," Councillor Hayes said. 

"There is a deliberate, hostile and concentrated movement to demonise the community, spreading lies and disinformation, and trying to exclude them from healthcare, education and employment, and even everyday living.

"The US, since 2018, have enacted 48 anti-trans laws across 19 different states, which, according to a recent study, has resulted in an increase in suicide attempts in youths aged 13 to 18 by up to 72 per cent."

The Councillor continued: "No medical body has called for a ban on hormone blockers. Hormone blockers are a legitimate, safe treatment for transgender youths, and have been used safely and effectively for decades. 

"We should be looking at international best practice and expert knowledge for gender-affirming treatment, including blockers, which advocates for high-quality care, which at this moment does not exist in the North."