The following press release has been released by Ramsey Town Commissioners:

The Chairman of Ramsey Town Commissioners, Mr A. C. Cowie J.P., has received the following request dated 10th May 2017 to hold a Public Requisition Meeting. The request has been signed by fourteen voters from the Constituency of Ramsey and a number of residents from the surrounding parishes.

“We the undersigned request that as a matter of urgency you convene a public meeting for the purpose of ascertaining the intentions of the Department of Health and Social Care, with regard to the future of the Ramsey Cottage Hospital. There appears to be a secretive culture developing within the department; something that is corrosive to staff morale and public confidence.

We believe that clarity is required from the department and hope that the Minister; the department's political members and its Chief Executive will attend the meeting and provide that clarity to the staff of the hospital; the users of the hospital's services and the people of the north of the island as a whole.“

The Chairman acknowledges receipt of and is now considering this request. An update will be released in due course.