Home > Lifestyle > Healthcare
Health Overview
The quality of healthcare in Cork is modern, efficient and among the finest in Europe. Everyone permanently resident in Ireland is entitled to treatment under the public healthcare system, which is funded by tax contributions. Qualification for free treatment is means tested, which means that most people with an income will be asked to contribute towards their care. As a result, many Irish people take out a private health-insurance plan to cover hospital treatments and consultant visits.
There are four, well-equipped, general hospitals in Cork city as well as a number of private hospitals and specialist health clinics. Cork county also has a number of general hospitals in the larger towns such as Bantry, Dunmanway and Mallow. Usually – except in emergencies – people are referred to hospital by their family doctor, who will help them to make contact with the right department to arrange an appointment.
Possibly the jewel in Cork’s healthcare crown is the new Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) in Bishopstown, which opened in April 2007. €75 million was invested in this purpose-built, modern facility with 144 beds and 12 labour rooms. The hospital has been designed to deliver 7,500 babies each year and has 50 neo-natal intensive-care cots for newborns. A senior consultant is on duty on the hospital premises 24-hours a day – a new development in Irish maternity hospitals.
Care for its citizens extends beyond Cork’s hospitals and into the community itself. The Social Welfare system provides a range of financial and family support services to those who need them. Among those who may qualify for assistance are the unemployed, people with low incomes, disabled people whose disability prevents them from finding work, and people who care for elderly or disabled relatives on a full-time basis.
The Southern Health Board, one of Ireland’s eight regional health boards, administers all Cork’s health, hospital and community services. It is also responsible for nursing and ambulance services and a number of community-based projects such as care for the elderly and mother-and-baby clinics.
