Health Minister promises update on Cork SouthDoc's reopening

Stephen Donnelly said the closure of SouthDoc in Blackpool in March due to the pandemic was 'temporary in nature

GPs have been calling for the SouthDoc centre in Blackpool to reopen.

The Health Minister has promised to give two Cork TDs an update in the coming days on when an out-of-hours GP service is likely to re-open on the north side of Cork city.

Stephen Donnelly told Solidarity TD Mick Barry and Fianna Fáíl TD Pádraig O’Sullivan, who raised the ongoing closure in the Dáil, that the closure of SouthDoc in Blackpool in March due to the pandemic was “temporary in nature” and he promised to revert soon.

GPs have been calling for the SouthDoc centre in Blackpool to reopen or to relocate to a nearby purpose-built facility at St Mary’s Health Campus in Gurranabraher.

Families have been forced to walk miles at night with small children or pay large taxi fees to get to the SouthDoc in an industrial estate at the Kinsale Road Roundabout, which is only easily accessed by car.

Mr Donnelly said reopening the service was “a priority”.

"It’s frustrating that a timeline has not been given and I will follow up with the HSE to get one," he said.

He committed to providing both TDs with a response from the HSE in the coming days on the centre's reopening, although he could not guarantee that SouthDoc, a private company, would provide the HSE with a timeline.

“The service closed in March and it is now December . . . People are getting frustrated," Mr O'Sullivan said.

"As the second biggest city in the country, there’s an absolute need for a second service."

 “It’s an unacceptable situation for people in the north side of the city and beyond," Mr Barry said.