Hospitals facing an uncertain future

FEARS have been expressed that Bantry General Hospital may be downgraded after it was claimed the HSE has no immediate plans to replace the hospital’s last full-time surgeon.

Similar concerns have been raised about the future of Cork city’s St Mary’sorthopaedic hospital.

A proposal to transfer the orthopaedic services from St Mary’s in Gurranabraher to Cork University Hospital (CUH) is currently under discussion.

Meanwhile, standing orders were suspended at a Cork County Council meeting yesterday to discuss the Bantry hospital issue.

Cllr John O’Shea said serious concerns emerged after the retirement of the surgeon.

He said that seven years ago, the acute hospital had two full-time surgeons.

But the surgeon, who has just retired, has agreed to carry out some work on a locum basis.

“Three surgeons should be appointed to Bantry now and share them with Cork hospitals,” the Bantry-based councillor said. “People are being disenfranchised from a health service in the south-west.”

Cllr Dermot Sheehan said the issue affected people living in most of west Cork and parts of south Kerry.

“Parts of west Cork are a very long drive from CUH. People’s lives will be put in danger if the service is downgrade at Bantry. I want to see a statement from the Minister for Health and the HSE outlining their intentions for the hospital.”

Fianna Fail’s Cllr Danny Crowley agreed that the county council should write to Minister for Health, Mary Harney, and the Health Service Executive (HSE) demanding to know what their future plans were for Bantry General Hospital.

His party colleague Cllr Joe Carroll said a lot of services were under review at the hospital, but he believed they would be enhanced rather than reduced.

The Mayor of County Cork Cllr Noel Harrington said it was worrying the HSE hadn’t advertised for a full-time replacement for the surgeon.

“People feel there could be loss of the accident and emergency service there. If the A&E is not retained then people would have to travel up to 100 miles to Cork,” he said.

In Cork city, meanwhile, Dr Sheehan said he had been informed by doctors at St Mary’s that major changes were expected in the hospital in the near future.

“The evidence I have from talking to a number of my medical colleagues is the plastic surgery service in St Mary’s has been looked at and they are looking currently at moving some of that service to the South Infirmary/Victoria Hospital and closing the plastic surgery service at St Mary’s.

“Likewise, they are looking at moving the elective orthopaedic surgery to CUH.”