An estimated 1,000 people gathered in Ballycastle in County Antrim last night to protest at the closure of Dalriada hospital.

The hospital is the only dedicated Multiple Sclerosis respite centre in Northern Ireland.

MS is a neurological condition that affects around 100,000 people in the UK. Roughly three times as many women have MS as men. In Northern Ireland, around 4,000 people suffer from the condition.

The unit at Dalriada is to close at the end of November until March 2015 as part of cuts to the health service.

Sinn Féin MLA Daithí McKay said the protest "showed the sheer depth of feeling in the area against these unnecessary closures.

"Dalriada Hospital is an essential part of the local community and has served people well for many years. The local community has joined together to send a clear message that they will not accept the closure of Dalriada Hospital and I am calling on the health minister, Jim Wells, to listen to the voice of the people.

"The minister needs to look within his department and manage his budget more effectively in order to keep much-needed facilities like this open."

SDLP Health Spokesperson Fearghal McKinney said: "It is clear to me that these cuts are not consistent with the community focused ambition of TYC (Transforming Your Care) and I asked the Minister was this now the final series of nails in the coffin for the plan.

"Over recent months questions by the SDLP have uncovered that TYC is lacking targets, measurement and adequate funding. Indeed at a recent Health Committee meeting the Minister agreed that the timescales were probably likely to slide by a further three or four years.

"TYC aims to shift the provision of health care from centralised institutions into the community in order to facilitate people better, closer to their home. The Trusts’ decision in closing these community facilities are both a devastating blow for patients and their families and are themselves undermining the plan."

(IT/MH)