HSE asked to defend cutbacks at Mercy

HEALTH service managers will be asked to attend a public meeting next week and defend cutbacks that have forced a €5 million mothballed A&E to open part-time only.

A major campaign will be launched this week, with posters and leaflets being distributed, in the area around Cork’s Mercy University Hospital (MUH) to build support for the meeting.

The move follows the announcement by MUH’s board of management in mid April that it will finally open its A&E unit in June, but from 8am to 8pm only.