SAVE Haslar campaigners have called for a large-scale public meeting to allow them to have their say on the doomed hospital.

Spokesman Peter Edgar believes people need to air their concerns over whether replacement hospital services will be available in time for the proposed closure in 2007 and whether these services will be able to cope with increasing demand.

He said: "There is no doubt that the main issue of concern is where the massively escalating demand for hospital in-patient treatment across the south is going to be met if Haslar closes as planned within the next three years. It is vital that a public meeting is held as soon as possible.

"People have been deprived by the duplication of meetings."

The move comes after two important health care meeting were scheduled on the same night.

A meeting of healthcare watchdog the Patient and Public Involvement Forum (PPIF) for Fareham and Gosport clashed with an over-subscribed meeting of the Primary Care Trust (PCT).

Fareham and Gosport PCT are running a series of forums at venues across the two towns to discuss the future of healthcare in the area. The new PPIF is also set to hold further discussions about the issue.

The closure of the hospital at Haslar is planned for March 31, 2007, but work on the redevelopment of Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham is yet to start.

The state-of-the-art facility is scheduled to take over from the old Queen Alexandra and Haslar hospitals.

Planning permission was finally given in April after eight years of planning by hospital chiefs. Contracts are expected to be signed at the end of June before work starts on the new building.