McLaughlin calls for medical school at Magee

The chairperson of the Stormont Health Committee has called for a medical school to be set up at Magee College, the Derry campus of the Ulster University.

The call comes from Sinn Fein health spokesperson, Foyle MLA Maeve McLaughlin, who was speaking after an announcement by Health Minister Simon Hamilton that the North's Health Service was to be restructured.

Ms McLaughlin said while she welcomed the news. the details of the proposals needed to be released.

She said: “There is no doubt that we need radical change to the way the Health Service is structured. It is complex; there is duplication and a lack of accountability.

“The big issue now is how will this change effect staff and functions

“It is important all current staff are kept abreast of all developments and that the Minister outlines how he plans to redeploy the current 600 staff employed by the Board.”

Ms McLaughlin concluded: “We need to build accountability and transparency into the system so bringing all controls under the auspices of the Department seems like the logical step.”