Group to defend €250m CUH plan amid concern
The Beacon Medical Group (BMG) urged any residents with concerns about the project at Cork University Hospital (CUH) to attend the event at the Kingsley Hotel.
It is the first time BMG has engaged the public on the project, which is facing stiff opposition from residents living around CUH.
Enterprise Minister and former health minister Micheál Martin has also described the project as “not sustainable”.
He spent an hour and a half with senior BMG officials in Dublin last week during which they outlined their project in detail.
But speaking afterwards, Mr Martin said he still plans to send a submission to the city manager outlining his concerns about the scale of the project.
Meanwhile, members of BMG’s design and management team will defend their 185-bed hospital project to the public today.
They invited members of the public to attend at the Kingsley Hotel between 1.30pm and 6.30pm.
They will have detailed maps and photomontages showing where the hospital will be built.
They will also outline its planned facilities, its economic impact, and its likely impact on traffic.
“We will try to familiarise people with the hospital. We will be available to talk through with people their concerns,” a BMG spokesperson said.
It will be first of a series of planned meetings, she said.
“We weren’t able to do this before now, because of a clause in the tendering process. But we plan to do this on a more on a regular basis, to inform people of what is going on.”
The move came as Independent Cllr Dave McCarthy called on BMG to consider locating its facility on the city’s northside.
“The orthopaedic hospital in Gurranabraher could be an ideal location for this new hospital. We would welcome it with open arms,” he said.
