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The management of the two main public acute hospitals in Cork has offered assurance that while the availability of space within their intensive care units is scarce, there are empty ICU beds there.
They also said there is significant scalability for more at both hospitals, should the need arise.
Cork University Hospital is currently operating with 20 ICU beds, with the possibility of adding another 16 ICU beds if there is an increase in demand.
Two of the hospital’s 20 ICU beds were empty this afternoon.
In the city center, Mercy University Hospital is currently operating with six ICU beds, with the possibility of tripling to 18 in the event of a sudden increase.
It is understood that this afternoon there was an empty ICU bed at Mercy University Hospital.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the South South West Hospital Group said that while access to ICU beds changes daily, neither Cork University Hospital nor Mercy University Hospital have had to implement surge protocols to date.
The spokesperson also noted that there is an increased capacity to add another 45 ICU beds in other hospitals within the South South West Hospital Group, at University Hospital Kerry, University Hospital Waterford and South Tipperary General Hospital.
The spokesperson said that none of these hospitals require augmentation protocols.
He noted that the intensive care units of the group’s five hospitals are managed as a group resource to optimize patient care.
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