Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. I appreciate the impact Covid-19 has had on all services throughout the health system. It is my understanding that SouthDoc services throughout the city and county were closed at the onset of the pandemic to curtail the spread of the virus. However, as the Minister has acknowledged, all centres in Cork city and county are open except for the one in Blackpool.

I do not expect the Minister to be overly familiar with the north side of Cork city. For his information I note that there is a purpose-built medical centre, St. Mary's Health Campus in Gurranebraher, which could house a new-out-of-hours clinic. A service in this area could also provide for the people of Tower, Blarney, Grenagh and Whitechurch. The demand for this service is greatest on the north side of Cork city. One of the main issues here is the need for access to healthcare among people without transport. I would welcome any further elaboration on the possibility of using St. Mary's Health Campus as a facility for SouthDoc in the event that the Blackpool centre cannot be opened.

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