They’re preparing for a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Now the Mercy University Hospital is urgently calling on the people of Cork to support a fundraising appeal to support the doctors, nurses and staff on the frontline.

Cork now has the second-highest number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ireland and teams at the Mercy are bracing themselves for the record number of people that will come through their doors over the coming weeks.

Additional funds are required to purchase extra IV pumps, syringes and portable suction machines to help patients with their breathing. The hospital also hopes to fund clinical psychologists to help frontline staff through the crisis.

“Right now, staff at the Mercy University Hospital are responding magnificently to prepare for the task ahead of them.” said Dr Chris Luke, a retired emergency physician who healthcare who returned to the frontline when the crisis hit.

‘We expect there to be a big surge in the number of COVID-19 cases’

“There is only so much we can do at the frontline of this crisis with the current resources. We expect there to be a big surge in the number of COVID-19 cases arriving at the Mercy University Hospital over the coming days and weeks.

“This will put huge pressure on beds, space, equipment and staff. Many patients will need treatment in our Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and we will need to purchase additional ICU Profiling Beds as well as the additional medical supplies.”

With the numbers of those infected by the virus continuing to rise, the Mercy University Hospital has also engaged with the Defence Forces in order to construct temporary shelters outside the hospital to maximise site capability.

“We’ve never seen anything like this before and as a nation, we’re relying on our frontline healthcare workers more than ever,” added Mícheál Sheridan, CEO of the Mercy University Hospital Foundation.

“Any donation a person can make will help us to purchase the necessary medical equipment from IV pumps to syringes and portable suction machines to help patients with their breathing. It will also ensure that a team of Clinical Psychologists will be on hand to help our frontline staff through this crisis by giving them the emotional support they need to keep going.”

To support the Mercy’s COVID-19 appeal, visit the official donation website here.