Coimhead air cairt gun smaoineachadh

Bha iad a' coimhead faisg air a' chile agus chaidh an cuir cmhla. Coma gu robhas a' cur itichean cho eu-choltach ri chile ri Tiriodh is Pislig anns an aon roinn.Coma gu robh muinntir Earra-Ghaidheil a' coimhead ri Glaschu son seirbhisean mran a bharrachd na bha iad a' coimhead ri Pislig.

'Se measgachadh annasach a bh'ann a riamh, ma bha cil idir 'sann a bha cir aig an t-atharrachadh a thachair an t-seachdain seo chaidh ite a ghabhail bho chionn fhada. Bha mar a bhiodh a' tachairt gun chiall.

Mar eiseamplair: Tha an t-Oban air oirean a tuath Brd Earra-Ghaidheil is Cluaidh. Agus smaoinich am Brd mu dheidhinn ospadal an Obain a dhnadh.

Tha an Gearasdan air oirean deas Brd na Gaidhealtachd, agus smaoinich Brd na Gaidhealtachd mun Bhelford anns a' bhaile a dhnadh.

Bhiodh aig muinntir an Oban ri shiubhal mu 80 mle a Dhunbhreatainn dhan ospadal. Bhiodh aig muinntir a' Ghearasdan ri dhol mu 65 mle a dh'Inbhirnis.

Bhiodh ite mr bn air taobh siar na Gaidhealtachd air a bhi gun ospadal.

Mar a thachair, dh'fhuirich an d ite fosgailte as didh dha na coimhearsnachdan praid mhr a dheanamh. Ach tha coltas ann a nis gum bi an Oban na phrt de Bhrd mr na Gaidhealtachd, agus gun tid seirbhisean an Obain is a' Ghearasdain aonadh le chile - fhathast leis an d thogalach - fhathast le goireasan anns an d bhaile - ach le cuid de na seirbhisean gan roinn eatorra.

Sin an rud nach robh an riaghaltas a' tuigsinn mu dheidhinn cho 'bodhar' is a bha muinntirr na Gaidhealtachd dhan duan aca mu dheidhinn 'sgoiltean is ospadail is seirbhisean poblach'.

Nuair a nochdadh Mgr Blair air an telebhisean gus innse dhuinn mar a dh'fheumadh e rachas Niseanta a chuir suas gus pigheadh dha seirbhisean slinte, 'sann a bha e a' deanamh muinntir an tuaith feargach - oir thathas a' pigheadh nan csean, tha sinn a' fulang le prsean gun chiall air connadh, agus ministearan a' cumail a mach gum bu chir dhuinn a bhi tingeil son cho fialaidh is a tha iad dhuinn, iad a' buileachadh oirnn dhar freasdal a chum ar maith.

Cha robh guth orra gu bheil na 'sgoiltean is ospadail' air a bheileas a mach gan gearradh.

Ach bidh mar a thachair a thaobh a' Bhird a' fgail gu ler iomaganach. Chan eil an t-airgead cho pailt sin dha Brd na Gaidhealtachd fhin agus iad air a bhi a' beachdachadh mu dheidhinn seirbhisean a lghdachadh ann an Gallaibh is Cataibh. Mura bi barrachd airgid ann dha Brd na Gaidhealtachd gus diligeadh ri na dleasdanasan ra aca 'sann a tha tuilleadh trioblaidean gu bhi aca.

Co-dhi bu chir dhaibh a bhi beagan nas elaich air d sersa sgre air a bheil iad a' coimhead. Ged a tha Inbhirnis is Tiriodh gu math eadar-dhealaichte co-dhi tha mran de na sgrean a tha Brd Slinte na Gaidhealtachd air a bhi a' frithealadh mran nas coltaiche ri Tiriodh na tha Pislig.

Ach tha gu ler den mhilleadh air tachairt mar-th.

Seallaibh air Ceann Loch Gilb. Ged a tha ospadal r ga thogail ann an sin, chan eil an leasachadh r gu bhi a' cur cil an ite an ionaid a bh'ann dha cram seann dhaoine a tha a' dnadh.

Cha bhi an togalach cil coltach ris an seann ospadal, agus feumaidh seann daoine a dhol mran nas fhaide gus cram fhaighinn bho seo a mach.

Bidh ceistean a nis ann c an ath bhrd a bhios ann an suidheachadh coltach ri mar a thachair ann an Earra-Ghaideal is Cluaidh.

Tha ceistean mra ann cuideachd mu dheidhinn bird slinte agus am bu chir dhaibh a bhi ann tuilleadh anns an riochd anns a bheil iad.

A bheil e cothromach neo ceart dha riaghaltas, a tha sinn a' taghadh, a bhi a' seachnadh co-dhunaidhean mu dheidhinn slinte is ospadail agus am fgail an urra ri sgiobaidhean de dhaoine nach deach an taghadh ann?

Chan eil mi ag rdh gur aithne dhomh am freagairt. Chan eil mran tarraingeach ann am planaichean chuid gus taghaidhean a bhi ann airson bird slinte. Tha taghaidhean againn son na Roinn-Erpa, son nan Cumantan, son Taigh an Rid, son nan comhairle, son nan comhairlean coimhearsnachd. A bheil an leithid dha-rreabh a dhth son gnothaich eile?

Ann am beagan lithean, bidh Ministear na Slinte, Anndra MacGhilleChiar, a' nochdadh mu choinneamh nam meadhannan gus bruidhinn mu dheidhinn na th'ann de shaothair gus deanamh cinnteach nach eil uiread de dhaoine a' feitheamh air cram neo nach eil iad a' feitheamh cho fada. Ma thid leis ann a bhi a' toirt piseach air cisean bidh e ag iarraidh a mholadh. 'Se a bhios air a chosnadh ceart gu ler.

Ach d cho cothromach is a tha e gu bheil am ministear is na h-rd oifigich ann an seirbhis na slinte a' seachnadh gach uallach son seirbhisean air an tuath a' cronadh?

Chan eil e math gu ler a bhi a' deanamh a mach gu bheil an riaghaltas a' tighinn a-steach gus an sluagh a shaoradh bho nmhaid a' bhird mar nach robh iad a' deanamh ach a' co-lionadh poileasaidhean a chuireadh rompa anns a' chiad dol-a-mach.

Tha iad air an taghadh gus diligeadh ri poileasaidhean. Bu chir dhaibh uallach a ghabhail son na tha a' tachairt.

Just look at a map, but don't think at all.

They hadn't a clue.

The creation of the Argyll and Clyde Health Board was proof number 1,823 that men in suits in their Edinburgh and Glasgow castles just don't understand the Highlands and the Gaels.

They saw on the map that Argyll and some of Inverclyde and Renfrew looked near to each other. By the way, it is interesting to examine those place names and then reflect on the fact the Gaelic language was never in those areas, but that is something else altogether.

Anyway, they looked near to each other an so they were lumped together. It did not seem to matter that places which were as diverse as Tiree and Paisley now belonged together. It didn't seem to matter that the people of Argyll looked to Glasgow for public services much more than they looked to Paisley.

It was always a strange blend. If anything, the change that happened last week should have taken place a long time ago. the situation was madness.

An example: Oban is on the northern tip of the Argyll and Clyde boundaries, and the Board thought of closing Oban hospital.

Fort William is at the southern tip of the Highland Health Board area, and the Highland Board thought about closing the local hospital, the Belford.

The people of Oban would have had to travel 80 miles to Dunbarton to get to a hospital. The people of Fort William would have had to go 65 to get to Raigmore in Inverness.

As it happened, the two remained open after the communities created uproar over the proposed closures.

But it now looks as if Oban will be a part of the new extended Highland Health Board, and that the Oban and Fort William hospitals will be merged together, still keeping the two buildings - still with facilities in the two towns - but with some services split between the two.

This is what the government never seemed to grasp during the election when they wondered why the people of the Highlands were so [deaf] to their refrain about "schools and hospitals and public services."

When Mr Blair would appear on television to tell how he had to raise the level of National Insurance in order to pay for the health service, all he did was enrage people in the rural areas. Because the taxes are all being paid, we suffer with crazy prices for petrol, while ministers tell us that we should be thankful for how generous they have been in bestowing such goodness upon us for our benefit.

There was no word of the fact that the "schools and hospitals" which they were on about were being cut.

But what happened with the Board will cause many to worry. Highland Health Board is not exactly drowning money and they have been considering cutting down on services in Caithness and Sutherland. If the Highland board does not receive the extra money to deal with its new duties it will soon encounter more troubles.

At least they should be a little more familiar with the sort of area they will be dealing with. Although Inverness and Tiree and very dissimilar at least many of the areas serviced by the Highland board are much like Tiree than they are like Paisley.

But a lot of damage has already been done.

Take Lochgilphead for example. Although a new hospital is being built there, the new development will not make up for the cut in provision for the elderly in the town.

The new building will not have the capacity of the old one for the elderly, meaning that elderly people needing care will have to travel much further.

There will be concern now about which board might be next to fall into the same crisis as happened to Argyll and Clyde.

But the biggest question has to be over what now for health boards and can they continue to exist in their current form.

Is it right for a government, which is elected, to body-swerve decisions about health and hospitals and leave it to teams of people who have not been elected?

I am not saying that I know that answer. There is little attractive in the plans from some to have elected health boards. We have European elections, Westminster elections, Holyrood polls, council elections and even votes for community councils. Do we really need more?

In a few days the heath minister Andy Kerr, will appear before the media to talk about all the efforts being made to tackle waiting lists and waiting times. If he manages to make any progress, he will expect praise. He will have earned it.

But just how correct is it that ministers and senior officials in the health service can avoid all responsibility for how rural health services are being cut back?

It is not good enough to try and portray ministers as riding to the rescue to save the people from the health board enemy who was doing little other than fulfilling policies which have been drawn up for them.

They are elected to deal with policies. They should be taking the responsibility for what happens.