A married couple from Portugal will be moving to West Cork to begin work as consultants at Bantry General Hospital at the end of the month.
The news follows the outcry over admission restrictions at the hospital for the past two weeks, and an update yesterday that the Acute Medical Assessment Unit will be opening tomorrow (Wednesday) at 9am.
The South/South West Hospital Group confirmed last week that consultants would be starting at the hospital in September...
However GPs and locals said the area needed immediate cover and held a protest in the town that was attended by hundreds on Sunday.
Speaking to RedFM News, local TD Christopher O'Sullivan outlined the timeline for reopening.
"On the 23rd of August we have to consultant positions coming from Portugal, they're a husband and wife couple.
"That will provide extra cover there. Then from September we have another consultant position.
"What that means in terms of the maths is that we're going from three consultant positions to five and a half full time consultant positions.
"That should give a buffer, so if someone takes ill or if someone takes annual leave, we still have that cover in place to make sure the unit can stay open."
