A PAINFUL LESSON

Cork Medical Centre is not the first private hospital in Cork to open its doors only to discover the VHI unwilling to come on board, thus scuppering its future, writes Catherine Shanahan

WITH their hand-woven carpets, fountains in courtyards and dazzling glass facades, private hospitals are nowadays touting the kind of five-star glamour on offer in our best hotels.

But the level of investment required is such that in these post-tax-break times, one might surmise that only the foolish or the brave would go ahead with such a venture.