The ruling Plaid-led Cabinet on Caerphilly County Borough Council is calling on health chiefs to name wards at the new £172m Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr after the area’s former collieries.
It is understood that the Aneurin Bevan Health Board want to just number the wards at the new complex. The Ysbyty Aneurin Bevan at Ebbw Vale is named after rivers.
But at Caerphilly District Miners’ Hospital, which is closing with the opening of the new hospital, all wards are named after pits where mine workers contributed to the building of the hospital.
Cabinet Member Councillor Ron Davies (pictured) said: “For the best of the last century health care for the citizens of Caerphilly was underpinned by the generosity and idealism of local miners who founded and supported the old District Miners’ Hospital.
“The wards there all had local connotations and it would be a mark of respect and gratitude to former generations of miners to name the wards in the new hospital after the local collieries whose men made such a huge contribution to the social and economic welfare of our valleys.
“By naming the wards after the villages where the collieries once worked, for example, Bedwas, Senghenydd, Bargoed, Oakdale, Crumlin or Risca, staff, patients and visitors will be given a constant reminder of this huge part of our social and cultural history and the memory of the heroism, fortitude, vision and sacrifice of a past generation will live on.”
Councillor Davies said that the Aneurin Bevan Health Board could choose what names should be used in the time old miners’ tradition by holding a ballot.
Former Oakdale colliery mine worker and Caerphilly Council leader Allan Pritchard said: “I’m sure the choice of old colliery names would prove very popular among residents. I think the health board can do much better than than just give wards numbers – it is important to remember our heritage while moving forward with this great new facility.”
