A West Cork TD has written to the Health Minister for the second time asking him to intervene in an ongoing situation regarding admissions at Bantry General Hospital.
It's after local GPs voiced fears for the health system in the area if the lack of consultants at the hospital is not tackled as a matter of urgency.
Admissions at the hospital have been restricted for the past nine days meaning some patients are having to travel to the city to present at the ED at Cork University Hospital.
Restrictions were due to be lifted at Bantry General on Thursday however GPs working at the local SouthDoc clinic over the weekend say the out of hours service was under huge strain as restrictions continued.
Speaking to RedFM News, Deputy Michael Collins says he's outraged by the situation;
The busiest weekend in West Cork in the whole year for doctors that on Friday doctors were telling me they have no idea where to send their patients. They haven't been instructed, it's just a case of, it's a guess job out there, send them to CUH but some are unable to make CUH because they are unable to go through that long journey, and imagine to anyone, if somebody attended a doctor with a serious illness, in Dublin were told the nearest hospital they have is Cor, the country would almost be closed."
