Obesity unit coming to North Cork hospital

Mallow General Hospital is to be home to an obesity unit, as opening the second half of a wing at the North Cork hospital is among the HSE’s priorities for the year.

Cork North Central Labour TD Eoghan Kenny recently asked Taoiseach Micheál Martin about plans to open the remaining floors of the new wing of the hospital.

He said: “A unit with 48 single beds opened in Mallow General Hospital. Two floors of the four-floor unit are still not open.

“I asked the Taoiseach to look at the feasibility of opening them.”

Mr Martin told him: “There has been a lot of investment in Mallow hospital over the last number of years, to be fair... we will certainly follow through on the opening of the two floors that are not open.”

There was initially a plan to open one floor as a rehabilitation centre, for physical recovery from injuries, similar to the facility in Dun Laoghaire, but this idea was shelved. Noel O’Connor, treasurer of the Friends of Mallow Hospital, told The Echo: “What we would like to see is the hospital used for more elective procedures and short stays, two to three days. CUH is very clogged up.

“I believe that the new minister for health will be visiting the hospital and all other Cork hospitals in the coming months, and I am sure by that time we will have a clearer vision for the future of the hospital.”

Mr Kenny told The Echo: “Having asked the Taoiseach about the newly-built wing of Mallow General Hospital, I welcome the Taoiseach’s commitment to follow through [with] the opening of all floors of the new wing of Mallow General Hospital.”

Mallow General Hospital, he said, “provides fantastic services for the people of the Munster region”.

Mr Kenny said it was important that services are maintained and upgraded, adding that he would be contacting the HSE to seek a timeline on when the remaining floors of the new wing of the hospital are to be opened.

Colm Burke, Fine Gael TD for Cork North Central, said that the current plan for the first and ground floors are an outpatient and obesity unit, which are to be rolled out over an 18-month period.

“We built a four-storey unit during covid, which was a challenging time,” stating the need for the remaining two floors to now open up.

“What everyone’s looking for at this stage is up-to-date facilities to give support to patients and to staff, who are very dedicated and committed.”

A spokesperson for the hospital confirmed: “The HSE Capital Plan for 2025 is to deliver an additional 24 inpatient beds on one floor at Mallow General Hospital and a new outpatient department incorporating an obesity service on the other floor.”

The spokesperson did not respond to a request for a timeline on the work.