andMr. Wallace asked the Minister for Health the agreement which has been reached on the rationalisation of the Cork voluntary hospitals.
Written Answers. - Cork Hospitals.
12.
The general hospital policy for Cork provided that there be three hospital complexes as follows: (1) Cork Regional Hospital; (2) South Infirmary/Victoria Complex; (3) North Infirmary/Mercy Complex with a rational distribution of services between these three locations. A proposal for the integration of the services provided by the South Infirmary and Victoria hospitals was recently approved by me. This will involve inter alia the establishment of a single management committee with powers to decide on the management of the hospitals as a single entity. It has been decided to transfer the services from the Cork Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital. Its ophthalmology service will go to Cork Regional Hospital and its ENT service to one of the voluntary hospital complexes. I have established a working group representative of my Department, the Mercy Hospital and the North Charitable Infirmary to consider and make recommendations on the proposed association between these two hospitals. The group is now preparing a report and I expect that it will be submitted to me in the near future.