Michelle O’Neill hints at Sinn Fein support for military aid for Northern Ireland hospitals

Appearing at a press conference alongside First Minister Arlene Foster, Sinn Fein’s deputy leader was asked by the News Letter whether she would be prepared to back UK military assistance to bolster the health service.

“Whatever is necessary to save lives is what I’m determined to do,” she said.

“I really wish people wouldn’t play games with something that is so serious.”

She continued: “Everybody knows the fact that there are particular sensitivies here because of the role of the British military in the past but we’re in the middle of a global pandemic.”

Several of Northern Ireland’s hospitals have been streteched beyond capacity this week following a huge influx of coronavirus patients.

The Antrim, Mater, Causeway, Royal Victoria, South West Acute, and Ulster hospitals were listed as being over capacity by the Stormont health department yesterday.

A total of 185 patients were awaiting admission to hospital due to the pressures on the number of beds available yesterday morning, the latest figures show.

Mrs O’Neill added: “The health minister is certainly of the view that there is capacity in the tower at Belfast City Hospital and that they can open up additional beds there as required.

“We think that the situation in our hospitals will peak over the next sort of week, where we’ll see the numbers hopefully starting to plateau at that stage.

“But clearly our health service is stretched to the limit and our health workers are stretched to the limit.”

DUP leader Mrs Foster was more emphatic in her support for possible military assistance.

She said she would “absolutely” support any request for assistance from the military.

“We’ve been talking about the capacity of the health service today at the Executive,” she said.

“I believe that if mutual aid is not possible from other health services across the UK then to look to our military to provide back-up support, particularly in and around logistics, for example, they could help with that, and in other ways as well.”

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