Over the last 8 years €33,000 per annum, yes, €33000 every year, has been spent by the Friends on equipment for Mallow General Hospital. This is a sizeable sum which has enabled the Hospital Staff to carry out their work with this extra necessary equipment and therefore ensuring a higher quality of service for the patient in the Hospital. Here is an outline of where the monies from the Friends have been spent over those 8 years:
- Equipment to analyse the heart and its surrounding vessels—Heart
- View Standard Equipment—heart diagnostic equipment
- An Echo System which is an image management system for cardiovascular information
- Laparoscopic Equipment
- The provision of the necessary technical equipment, for the Sleep
- Apnoea Laboratory in the MAU Department of Mallow General Hospital—-in conjunction with HSE Funds.
This Clinic has provided a wonderful diagnostic service over the last 4 years.
The provision of a mobile Echo Ultrasound Machine for using in stress echocardiography in the Cardiac Department in the Hospital. This provides a sonogram of the heart. This may also help determine whether any chest pains or associated symptoms are related to heart disease in the patient.
An Argo Plasma Coagulation Device was purchased, which is used in the Endoscopy Diagnostics. This device controls bleeding in carrying out endoscopy diagnosis. It also debunks Tumours.
The Friends of Mallow Hospital meet on the last Tuesday of each month in the Conference Room of the Hospital. Dr. Neil Cronin and Dr. John Kiely, Consultants in the Hospital regularly attend the
Committee meetings and keep the members up to date on the activities of the Hospital .
In the 1970’s a group of visionary supporters of Mallow General Hospital got together and decided that the Hospital should be supported financially through the purchase of essential equipment. This was needed to assist the work of the Doctors and Nursing Staff and thereby enhance the service to the patients. A network of supporters across the catchment area of the Hospital, from Ballydesmond to Lismore, was brought together. Since then, and right up to the present, events are run in various parishes to raise funds for this equipment; The most popular of these events are the Annual Church Gate Collections.
The story of the Friends of Mallow Hospital continues today. Over the years there has been increasing pressure on the HSE Budgets for capital spending on Mallow General Hospital, just as there has been similar pressure on budgets for all hospitals in the country. When requested by the Consultants to purchase Medical Equipment, which is deemed necessary to enhance the service to patients in the Hospital, the Friends of Mallow Hospital are always glad to do so. The only stipulation for the purchase is that the Hospital cannot afford to purchase it within it’s own HSE Budget.
The support for the work being carried out by the Friends continues to be significant. The committee is indebted to the many organisers and collectors who look after the various Church Gate Collections. A special word of thanks must go to the many contributors who, year after year, financially support these collections. Without these good people the Friends could not provide the financial assistance to help enable the
Doctors, Nurses, Administration Staff and General Staff of Mallow General Hospital to continue to provide the excellent service to the community serviced by the Hospital.