Drumm: Cork does not need three A&Es

THE opening of the €5 million A&E in Cork has been thrown into further doubt after the HSE chief executive said the city has too many emergency treatment centres.

Professor Brendan Drumm said Cork did not need its three 24-hour A&E centres at Cork University Hospital, Mercy University Hospital (MUH) and the South Infirmary/Victoria University Hospital.

A new A&E department was completed at the MUH 18 months ago. But hospital management have not been able to open it on a 24-hour basis because they can not afford to pay the number of staff required to operate it.