Residents across Co Fermanagh have been left outraged following the Western Trust's decision to remove emergency surgical services from the South West Acute Hospital, in Enniskillen next month.
The Trust has not said when it expects emergency general surgery to resume.
In a statement to Northern Sound, Sinn Féin MP Michelle Gildernew expressed her anger at the Western Health and Social Care Trusts announcement of the temporary removal of emergency surgical services from the South West Acute Hospital.
According to Gildernew, the move is a direct result of the total failure of the Trust to recruit and retain the necessary surgeons.
However the Department of Health says it is fully recognises the importance of South West Acute Hospital to the people of Fermanagh and Tyrone and to Northern Ireland's hospital network.
It added that the first duty of any health system is to provide safe care and the Department is satisfied that the Western Trust's decision to temporarily suspend the service has been taken on public safety grounds, due to a lack of consultant general surgeons.
Despite this, Michelle Gildernew says she is concerned that local lives will be lost as a result of this decision.
The MP added that people need to know the steps that the Trust has taken over the last number of months to ensure that the South West Acute Hospital is adequately staffed to make sure this is not a permanent measure.
She added that patients, staff and the community deserve transparency from the Trust on all these issues.
