Cystic fibrosis campaigner urges charity not to compromise over beds

One of the country’s leading campaigners for improved cystic fibrosis services has urged a charity that raised funds for a Cork hospital not to hand over the money until beds are ringfenced for CF patients.

Orla Tinsley, who began campaigning almost a decade ago, has backed the decision of Build4Life not to hand over the €2.3m it raised to fund a new adult respiratory ward at Cork University Hospital without the guarantee of ringfenced beds.

Ms Tinsley, who has CF, said “priority access”, which the hospital is now offering to CF patients, was “not security”.