Mater Private boss wants formal, long-term public bed deal

The head of the Mater Private Healthcare Group has called for a formal arrangement whereby a public hospital would block-book beds on a long-term basis in a private hospital for use when overcrowding occurs.

This would be a more efficient and cost-effective approach to the current “ad-hoc” arrangement that exists between the Mater Private in Cork and Cork University Hospital (CUH), according to CEO John Hurley.

Mr Hurley, a cardiothoracic surgeon, said they had 25 beds that they “could make available to CUH or the Mercy University Hospital (MUH) or whoever needs them” on a 12-month basis because the Mater Private Cork, open since January 2013, is not yet operating at full capacity.