Bantry General Hospital offers a vital service to a far-flung region of west Cork, but doctors there are concerned that its surgical unit is being phased out.
The 100-bed hospital, argues Dr Jeremy Cotter, cannot adequately discharge its responsibilities with just one surgeon, even though the Southern Health Board appears to think it can.
The issue may be traced back to 1986/87 when Mr Sean Baker retired as county surgeon for the area. That left Mr Gerry Mulcahy acting as the sole surgeon for the hospital and the region.
In effect, say Dr Cotter and his colleagues who are campaigning for a second surgeon, Mr Baker's retirement signalled the beginning of the surgical unit's demise because he was not replaced. Over the years politicians have been approached, including recently the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, but to no avail.
Those lobbying for a second surgeon have been referred to the SHB but the SHB is not for turning and is adamant that numbers attending the surgical unit do not warrant filling a second post. Doctors in the hospital are equally adamant that if you offer only half a service, the public will go elsewhere. As things stand, the surgical team consists of Mr Mulcahy and Dr Aftab Baloch, anaesthetist on a temporary appointment.
Staff at the hospital want to see the surgical unit restored to a minimum of two surgeons and two anaesthetists, to ensure that acute surgery continues there.
They suspect that only a campaign driven by public opinion will achieve this. It hasn't gone unnoticed that in the case of Monaghan and Roscommon county hospitals, local pressure was instrumental in securing the appointment of second surgeons.
"In Roscommon's case, the late Tom Fox ran as independent candidate on the issue and in Monaghan a local action group took the North Eastern Health Board to court about it," Dr Cotter said, adding that both county hospitals were now thriving.
It is about people and their right not have geography mitigate against them, Dr Cotter says. A surgical unit with acceptable staffing levels is part of that right and without it patients have to go to Cork for treatment.
"When Bantry Hospital opened as an acute general hospital 40 years ago, there were large building costs at a time when there was a lot less money to go around," he said, and they are hoping "that same idealism, vision and commitment to the hospital and the people of the area" will be found in the SHB and the Department today.