VHI need to get their act together asap. They have a swiftcare clinic next-door the the hospital so I can’t understand this refusal.

@James Vhi keep issuing these bland statements but never supply figures. They talk about over supply nationally but have never once said that there is an over supply of private health facilities in Munster or Cork because this is simply not the case. Cork has less private beds and less operating theatres than Leinster or Ireland as whole.

Vhi seems content to treat its customer in the two private hospitals covered by them in Cork, which are over 90 years old. Contrast this with Blackrock Clinic which only opened in the 1980’s but they’ve already built an entirely new hospital on site.

CMC estimates it can save Vhi €5m per annum on the seven main procedures, not to mention the benefit of added competition driving down prices quoted to Vhi by the existing hospitals.

Cork is Ireland’s second city and deserves to have modern facilities for its population – they should not have to travel to Dublin, Galway or Waterford in order to be treated in modern facilities, or so their surgeons can get access to operating theatres.

More importantly if Vhi were on -board this would confirm all the doctors needed to allow the hospital to treat public patients and reduce public sector waiting lists via the National Purchase Treatment Fund.

I commented but it was taken down. Are you only putting up those comments you deem appropriate?????

@John, Sheehan Medical had started meetings with Vhi in 2007, before they commenced building and their CEO indicated Vhi needed a modern hospital in Cork for its customers and one that could compete with the two existing facilities in order to drive down prices. Vhi were negotiating on covering the facility until very recently and SM have released the minutes. The CEO even came down to view the facility less than a month ago.

Vhi recently covered the new St Vincent’s Private that opened in November with 263 beds, yet they won’t cover CMC with only 73 beds in the city where their existing facilities are over 90 years old and crucially do not offer a fully room facility, which is now best practice in order to control infections.

The development of CMC followed exactly the same pattern as every other private hospital in the country.There was certainly no railroading nor would the Sheehan’s ever participate in such practice.

No there wouldn’t Sean. Don’t be ridiculous. My office is in the building next to this hospital. Sheehan medical behind it already run 4 very successful hospitals in the us. There are two vhi facilities in the same complex as this, which opened AFTER the plans for cmc. This is an amazing facility that two private insurance companies are willing to do business with yet somehow a state insurer whose last profit was in the stone age, somehow knows better than everyone else and now wants to jeopardise 100 jobs cause of some vested interest. Cork needs this facility, everyone in cork knows this, so we don’t need any state insurer or mis informed people telling us otherwise.

Did you ever hear me complaining about that before? No! You have me mistaken for the 2nd time for some lefty.

Ha, some luck alright, start fresh tomorrow sher ;)