€75m maternity hospital to open its doors

CORK’S €75 million new maternity hospital will be officially opened tomorrow by Minister for Health Mary Harney.

The maternity hospital has averaged 25 births per day since its inception — putting it on course to exceed the forecasted annual rate of 7,000 births.Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) is an amalgamation of maternity services at the Bon Secours, Erinville and St Finbarr’s Hospitals.

The 144-bed hospital opened on March 31st after a week’s delay due to problems between the Irish Nurses’ Organisation and hospital management over staffing levels. When CUMH opened, just half of the sanctioned staff numbers were in place but the HSE say they are just 16 midwives short at present.