The INMO has called for urgent action to reopen Bantry General Hospital to new admissions.
The hospital was forced to scale back services and close to new admissions due to an acute shortage of hospital consultants in the hospital.
The union is calling for an urgent recruitment of locum and permanent consultants to reopen the hospital.
The INMO warns that the closure is not only bad for west Cork, but is diverting patients to already-stretched hospitals such as Cork University Hospital, Mercy University Hospital, and University Hospital Kerry.
Bantry General’s medical assessment unit must be protected to reduce attendance across emergency departments in Cork and Kerry, the union said.
INMO members will attend a protest calling for action on Sunday at 1 pm in Bantry.
INMO Industrial Relations Officer Liam Conway said:
This situation demands urgent action. Bantry General is a pivotal hospital for the area. Patients across west Cork deserve better, and this closure is unfairly putting extra pressure on nearby hospitals.
The South/Southwest Hospital Group needs to find immediate consultant cover to get services back running.
Frontline INMO members are seriously concerned for what this means for west Cork patients. They are also concerned about their situation as workers in an essentially closed-off hospital.
INMO reps will be attending a protest on Sunday – we hope to see real action on this before then.
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