Deputy Seán Sherlock TD has extended an invitation to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly to view the work of Mallow General Hospital, saying that Mallow will do the business needed to alleviate overcrowding in CUH.
“Level 2 hospitals like Mallow General Hospital are an untapped resource,” said Deputy Sherlock during a debate on hospital capacity in the Dáil last week. “The Minister spoke to issues around capital expenditure and turning bricks and mortar into wards.
“We have a 42-bed unit in Mallow General Hospital that is all but built. The hospital is operating excellently. It provides a great deal of elective care for people. It is excellent in diagnostics. Many people could be triaged on an out-of-hours basis and directed into hospitals like Mallow General Hospital.
“I ask the Minister to fast-track the 42-bed unit. We would get it up and running for the Minister. We would take people out of Cork University Hospital, (CUH), and move them into Mallow General Hospital, as well as places like Ennis, Nenagh and other hospitals. The excellent staff on the ground will do what the Minister has spoken about in terms of delivering the healthcare we need. That would alleviate the pressure on CUH and this can be done now. The bricks and mortar are there. I invite the Minister to visit Mallow to take a look at it for himself. It is an excellent hospital,” he said.
“The writing was on the wall for the accident and emergency department a long time ago. We did a lot of work in respect of building endoscopy suites, medical assessment units, a local injuries unit, an urgent care centre, etc. We now have a 42-bed unit and, if the Minister will give us the money to put beds into it, we will do the business for him. That is what we want to do in Mallow. This would take a great deal of pressure, from a regional perspective, off tertiary care centres like CUH. It will not only serve the people of Mallow but also those in Tipperary, Limerick, Waterford and the whole catchment area.
“If we look at Mallow on the map, we will see it is right in the heart of Munster. This is what we are talking about in terms of solutions. The Minister has the capability, wherewithal and means to do this, because he is the Minister. If he could take a look at Mallow General Hospital specifically, we could do a job of work there,” the deputy concluded.