€10m investment will allow Bon Secours hospital treat an additional 5,000 patients per year

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has officially opened two new operating theatres in Bon Secours Hospital Cork, bringing the overall theatre capacity at the hospital to 11 including one fully-integrated laparoscopic theatre. Photo: Cathal Noonan

Bon Secours Cork has become the first hospital in Ireland to install an Olympus operating theatre which will allow for procedures such as bariatric surgery, which includes gastric bands and other weight-loss surgeries.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin today opened two new operating theatres in Bon Secours Hospital Cork which were part of a €10 million investment.

The new theatres bring the overall theatre capacity at the hospital to 11, including one fully integrated laparoscopic theatre.

The new Olympus operating theatre will allow patients to access to fully-integrated, state-of-the-art general surgery procedures, including bariatric surgery to support the fight against the increasing obesity rates across Ireland.

The Cork hospital has become the first hospital in Ireland to install an Olympus operating theatre.

It is anticipated that an additional 5,000 patients will be treated annually through the extra capacity the two new theatres will provide.

In order to support the new theatres, the hospital will be creating 20 new positions including surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and theatre support staff.

The expansion will also enable the hospital to offer additional capacity to the public system to assist with the existing overwhelming demand for healthcare services.

Speaking at the opening, Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the expansion as “another important milestone” in the development of health services for those in the region.

The additional theatre capacity will greatly benefit people living across the Munster region at a time when the pandemic has put such pressure on our health system.

“Bon Secours Health System’s continued investment in world-class facilities and its expansion of vital services are extremely welcome, and I congratulate them for their ongoing commitment to technologically-advanced medical care," he added.

 

Pictured with Taoiseach Micheál Martin was Alison O’Callaghan, catering supervisor, from Togher, at Bon Secours Hospital Cork. Photo: Cathal Noonan

Bon Secours Cork has more than 300 beds and currently employs more than 1,000 staff, admitting approximately 35,000 patients every year.

Harry Canning, Chief Executive at Bon Secours Hospital Cork said that the opening of the new advanced operating theatres and the additional capacity means the hospital will be able to provide more patients than ever before with the timely and customised care they need.

Bon Secours Health System Group Chief Executive Bill Maher added that the new €10 million theatres build on the ground-breaking €77 million expansion that was completed at the hospital in 2019 and will further enable them to meet patients’ needs by providing increased access to vital, advanced medical care.

He thanked Mr Martin for joining them on the “landmark day”.

“This is another extremely proud day for the hospital, the Bon Secours Health System and all our staff on foot of all the challenges the pandemic has brought,” he added.