Why punish a hospital with a proven record?

ACCORDING to recent reports, Mallow General Hospital will have to endure a budget cut of some €571,000.

This coupled with the fact that a CT scanner has been lying idle for four years, and that the promised radiographer has still not been appointed, does not inspire confidence in the Government’s ability to deliver for the hospital and its patients.

This is a cheap hospital to run and its patients have the shortest staying times. A&E queues are miniscule by comparison with other hospitals. Most referrals come from GPs practising in the area.

So why does Health Minister Mary Harney want to further reduce its budget? Is it so that she can force more patients into a bottleneck at Cork University Hospital, which can ill-afford to deal with increased capacity from the further downgrading of Mallow hospital? Don’t take my word for it. Listen to the 100 GPs and Dr Neil Cronin who have written to the minister and on these pages calling on her to act. They know what they are talking about.

Seán Sherlock TD

Secretary

Mallow General Hospital

Action Committee

Fleming’s Lane

Mallow

Co Cork