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Three of the private hospitals taken over by the state to help deal with the Covid-19 epidemic did not house patients during April, at the height of the crisis.
Overall, two out of three inpatient beds remained empty during the month in the nearly 20 private hospitals covered by the agreement, costing the state € 115 million a month.
The Health Services Executive (HSE) says that occupancy rates have increased since then.
There was 0 percent occupancy at St Francis Hospital in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, which has 77 beds; Kingsbridge Hospital in Sligo with 19 beds; and Bon Secours Limerick, which has more than 50 beds, according to figures provided by HSE to The Irish Times.
Kingsbridge and Bons Limerick had a large number of outpatient cases, according to the HSE.
Another private hospital, the Sports and Surgery Clinic in Santry, Dublin, had a 6 percent occupancy in April. He performed just 44 case days and 120 diagnostic tests during the month, an average of less than 10 appointments per business day.
Occupancy at all sites in April was estimated by the HSE at 36 percent, and data from early May showed an increase of 48 percent, he says.
The hospitals with the highest occupancy were Bons Tralee, Co Kerry with 86 percent and St Vincent’s Private in Dublin with 82 percent.
Other hospitals with low occupancy rates included the Galway Clinic (23 percent); Aut Even in Kilkenny (21 percent); and the Bons Dublin (25 percent).
In Dublin, the Private Mater was 60% occupied; the Blackrock Clinic had a 45 percent occupancy; and the Beacon was 34 percent.
Patient numbers
In total, private hospitals discharged 2,654 hospitalized patients during the month, with the highest number treated in the Bon Secours group of hospitals (860). There were 59 inpatient discharges from Blackrock Clinic and 57 from Mater Private Cork.
Private hospitals also treated a total of 8,585 daily cases, 1,071 new outpatients, 2,109 outpatients who returned and performed 7,887 diagnostic tests.
The work done included cancer surgery, chemotherapy services and urgent cardiac treatment, according to the HSE. Some hospitals also supported the provision of emergency care and two nursing homes through the provision of a geriatrician or nursing service.
In April, only “critical essential work” was performed in private hospitals, “under the guidance of the National Public Health Emergency Team,” according to the HSE.
This was loosened after May 5 to allow more work to be done, he says, and hospital groups were tasked with drawing up plans until the end of June to “optimize” capacity.
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