Some 30 beds are to be closed at Cork University Hospital for the summer months, it was announced last evening.
The news coincided with an announcement that a further 12 beds are to be closed at Dublin's James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown today.
In Cork's University Hospital (CUH), a 24-bed ward will close for 10 weeks from June 23rd and six ophthalmic beds will close for two months. The closures have been attributed to funding difficulties and come on top of 250 bed closures announced by the five Dublin academic teaching hospitals earlier this month.
Mr Tony McNamara, the manager of CUH, one of the largest acute hospitals in the State, said in the current economic climate it was necessary to ensure every effort was made "to manage our resources in the most efficient and practical way possible".
"With this in mind and taking into account the fact that the demands placed on our hospital are subject to seasonal factors, we will temporarily close one 24-bed day ward for a period of 10 weeks from 23rd June to 1st September. This temporary closure will facilitate the co-ordination of staff annual leave thus ensuring costs for locum staff is kept to a minimum. Staff working on this ward will be assigned to other wards. There will be no job losses," he said.
"We need to ensure that we safeguard our commitment to treat the 49,000 patients agreed in our service plan."
Last night the Irish Nurses' Organisation said it was disappointed to learn of further bed closures in Blanchardstown notwithstanding the fact that discussions had begun with the Minister for Health in an attempt to avert further closures.
"The organisation had expected that any further bed closures would have been deferred until the whole matter had been discussed again at the meeting between ICTU and the Department of Health scheduled to take place some time next week," INO industrial relations officer Mr Philip McAnenly said.
"The problem is further compounded by the fact that the A&E department in JCM is already under intolerable strain with patients enduring lengthening periods on trolleys and on one occasion yesterday, a patient being cared for on a mattress on the floor, while waiting for an inpatient bed. This problem will be further exacerbated by the closure of these much-needed 12 beds in addition to the 20 beds that were closed last week."