Non-urgent surgeries cancelled as CUH battles with overcrowding

Cork University Hospital has cancelled all non-urgent elective surgeries scheduled for today blaming pressure in its emergency department.

Last night speaking from the hospital, Denis Farrelly from Cork told how the cancellation of his daughter Joanne’s surgery was the fourth time since July her procedure had been called off. He said it was a very serious operation and to only be told by her doctor at 7pm it was being cancelled yet again had been very distressing for his daughter not least as she had had to be admitted four time since July for emergency blood transfusions.

The HSE said CUH had been exceptionally busy in recent weeks, in particular from January 11-19 when 1,735 patients presented to the emergency department for review and treatment of which 892 patients required inpatient admission.