VIDEO: Cystic Fibrosis patient sent home from CUH as 20-bed ward lies idle

A 27-year-old woman with cystic fibrosis (CF) who travelled from Waterford to Cork University Hospital (CUH) for treatment was sent home because there were no beds available — while a 20-bed respiratory ward within the hospital remains closed.

Kim Doheny made the two-hour trip to CUH last Monday after trying, unsuccessfully, to treat her respiratory infection intravenously at home.

“I rang the [CF] team on Monday. I was not feeling well, I had a pain in my lung and I had spikes in temperature. They said to come in. But when I got here, there was no bed. They assessed me and gave me the first dose of antibiotics and then I was sent home,” Kim said.