Fears cuts at special injuries unit may cost lives

THE HSE is not commenting on claims that a special injuries assessment unit at Bantry General Hospital is to close overnight from next January.

It has sparked fears in West Cork that if it goes ahead, and when combined with a reconfiguration of ambulance cover in the region, lives will be put at risk. “I have no doubt that this will cause deaths and make injuries worse,” the mayor of Skibbereen, Cllr Frank Fahy said. Mr Fahy said people need to be aware of how these changes will impact on their lives.

“The people of West Cork don’t seem to realise the implications of what’s coming down the line. If anything happens after 8pm — a road traffic accident, a heart attack, pregnancy bleeding or anything like which is potentially life-threatening — they will be facing a three-hour journey to hospital in Cork city,” he said.