9 April 2021
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Mallow based Labour Party TD Seán Sherlock has called on the HSE and the Fianna Fáil Minister for Health to reverse the decision to close the Medical Assessment Unit at Mallow General Hospital for one month.
“I’ve learned today that the HSE is now intent on closing the medical assessment unit of Mallow General Hospital for the next month,” said Deputy Sherlock.
“I’ve been contacted by the INMO in regard to this, I’m glad that they contacted me, because I feel strongly now that the HSE has to reverse this decision.”
“The South SouthWest hospital group is being very short sighted, the CEO of the South South West hospital group to stand over a decision like this, beggars belief. I feel strongly that this is putting patients’ lives at risk by forcing more people into the narrow funnel that is Cork University Hospital, when there’s a perfectly good medical assessment unit where local GPs can refer patients into the hospital directly onto the wards.”
Continuous fight
“It’s always been the case of Mallow General Hospital, you go two steps forward and one step back and this is yet another example where we have to fight the HSE, and fight the Fianna Fáil health minister in respect to ensuring that services are retained at Mallow General Hospital and we continue to do that,” said Deputy Sherlock.
“I’m calling for the HSE to reverse the decision in respect of closing the medical assessment unit for one month because the net effect of closing that medical assessment unit for one month is that more people will be forced into CUH and there is no need to be putting further pressure on CUH when if the services can be retained at Mallow General Hospital, who do excellent work in terms of dealing with people treating them medically, then retain that service in Mallow General Hospital. We don’t stand over the loss of any services, and we will continue to fight this.”
File photo of Sean Sherlock TD at the Cork City Docklands