‘People prepared to fight’ any attempt to downgrade services
Local councillors said the nature of the investigation should be made known for the sake of the staff at the hospital.
They say the unspecified patient safety inquiry should not be used as a Trojan horse to close down services at the hospital.
Labour Party councillor Ronan Sheehan said the fear was Mallow would be treated like Ennis General Hospital and an investigation would be a forerunner to moves to wind it down.
However, he said there was “huge opposition” brewing to any such move.
“People are prepared to fight on their backs... The feeling on the ground is that they [the Health Service Executive] are happy that some sort of a complaint has been made.
“The fear around the town is that they are almost looking for a reason,” he said.
Mr Sheehan said there was a resilience among the people of Mallow that had fought efforts to close the facility before and would do so again.
Fianna Fáil councillor Dan Joe Fitzgerald said the way in which the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) had handled the investigation so far had not been fair to the workers.
Mr FitzGerald said the suggestion there was a serious threat to the wellbeing of patients was something which had to be explained in whatever way possible to ease concern.
“I would like to see that they would clarify if there was an actual complaint. This would only be fair to the staff and doctors that are entitled to know.
“What if there are complaints about shortcomings then it is important to come clean about that.”
He said he was pinning his hopes on the possibility that the incoming chairman of the HSE would ensure the hospital was not downgraded.
Mr Fitzgerald said an independent examination of Mallow could be positive because if it ruled in its favour it would support the case for the continued opening of the unit.
Independent Mallow councillor, John Paul O’Shea works for the HSE and said he could not therefore comment on the specifics of the case.
However, Mr O’Shea said he hoped whatever the focus of the investigation was that it could be completed quickly to ensure patients were reassured about their safety.
