A&E fears as minister avoids Dáil question

AN organisation yesterday claimed that an A&E department in Co Cork is set to close as part of a centralisation of services to larger urban centres, a move first mooted in the controversial Hanly Report.

At a press conference hosted by Mallow General Hospital Action Committee, it was stated that Minister for Health, Mary Harney, had failed to answer a Dáil question on the future of the hospital’s A&E, instead claiming its running was a matter solely for the Health Service Executive.

Fears that the hospital’s 24-hour A&E was going to be downgraded were further compounded when local TD, Joe Sherlock, made further inquiries from the Department of Health.