Two Cork operating theatres are closed while two only open 2.5 days a week

The HSE has confirmed that two operating theatres in Cork are closed, while a further two are only used two and a half days a week.

In Cork University Hospital, there are 15 theatres. The HSE explained: “One of these is a hybrid theatre which is currently being refurbished. The duration of the refurbishment is approximately three months, and is due to be operational again in September 2025.”

In South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, there are 11 operating theatres, with 10 of them currently operational — no information was provided as to the reason for the closure, nor was a date for its return to use given.

Cork University Maternity Hospital has four operating theatres, all of which are operational, as does the Mercy University Hospital.

There is one operating theatre at Mallow General Hospital, which is operational, while in Bantry General Hospital there are two theatres, both of which are currently only operational 2.5 days on average per week.

Last week, The Echo revealed that at the end of June, a total of 79,754 people, including 9,244 children, were awaiting treatment at one of the six hospitals — an increase from the previous month.

A total of 46,884 people are waiting 0-6 months for treatment, 17,136 are waiting six to 12 months, 2,327 are waiting 12-18 months, and 7,507 are waiting more than 18 months.

Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, Thomas Gould, who received the information on theatre closures from the HSE, said: “We have a situation now where almost 80,000 people are on hospital waiting lists in Cork, with many of them awaiting minor or elective surgeries.

“For these people, the operations could be life-changing. They are living in pain for months and years on end. It is absolutely scandalous that we have operating theatres in hospitals sitting empty while hospital waiting lists are this long.”

He added that he was recently contacted by a family of a person with special needs who needed general anaesthetic to undergo dental treatment, saying: “We were told it would be at least a two-year wait for this procedure because of restricted access to an operating theatre. Now we know that there are operating theatres lying empty. How can anyone explain that to this family?

“We see elderly people forced, month after month, to travel to the six counties for hip and knee replacements. They drive past empty operating theatres to do this. How can anyone explain this to them?”

He concluded: “We hear a lot of talk about the need to expand our health service, and this is true, but failures in workforce planning and proper funding to maintain existing infrastructure is leaving hospitals in Cork with closed operating theatres. It makes no sense.”