A NEW €6 million clinical research facility at Cork University Hospital (CUH) is expected to be operational by the end of 2009 and will assist in the development of services including cancer treatment services at the hospital, it has been claimed.
CUH general manager Tony McNamara said the project was part of a programme operated by the Health Research Board (HRB) for investment in clinical research at a small number of locations around the State.
Up to 15 research staff will be recruited for the facility which will carry out clinical trials on the latest cancer treatments as well as trials on new treatments in the areas of neurology, heart disease, bowel disease and gastrointestinal disease.
Work on the research centre, which will be affiliated to University College Cork, is expected to commence within six months, said Mr McNamara.
The emergence of details regarding the new clinical research centre at CUH comes as management at the voluntary South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital (SIVUH) briefed staff at the hospital's cancer unit about its proposed move to CUH.
South Infirmary's chief executive, Gerard O'Callaghan, has issued a memo to all staff regarding the controversial planned transfer of cancer services from the hospital to CUH as has been proposed in the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP).
Mr O'Callaghan informed staff that the South Infirmary's board had agreed at its last meeting earlier this month that the hospital would co-operate with the cancer control programme as it relates to the transfer of the Symptomatic Breast Disease services which is currently based at SIVUH.
Mr O'Callaghan said that it was agreed that staff from SIVUH would be nominated to participate in a group with the HSE to look at cancer services, but he pointed out that the group had not been established nor its terms of reference agreed.
"Furthermore, despite what has been stated in the media, no discussions whatsoever have taken place regarding the possible relocation of services from Cork University Hospital to this hospital or from this hospital to Cork University Hospital.
"All of these issues will be discussed in the context of the reconfiguration of services in the Southern Region. These discussions, however, have not yet commenced," said Mr O'Callaghan who pledged in his memo to update staff as soon as these discussions start.
NCCP director Prof Tom Keane told the HSE South Regional Health Forum meeting in June that the transfer of staff from the existing cancer unit at SIVUH would only go ahead when he was satisfied that the proper resources were in place at CUH to cater for the expanded service.