Wexford General Hospital is likely to be without a fully functioning Accident and Emergency Department for months.
It follows a fire that broke out in a plant room at the hospital just after 4pm on Wednesday.
Over 200 patients had to be evacuated and transferred to hospitals in Kilkenny, Waterford, Cork and Dublin.
Maternity services will re-open at the hospital from Friday, while all outpatient appointments are expected to resume from Monday.
A sign for Wexford General Hospital on March 2nd , 2023 after a fire forced an evacuation of the building. Picture by: PA Images / Alamy Stock PhotoPádraig Byrne, reporter for the Wexford People, told Newstalk Breakfast other services are likely to be on a phased basis.
"In terms of the full re-opening of the Emergency Department and other services, we could be some way off yet", he said.
"The word from the hospital manager, Linda O'Leary, is that we'll see a return of other services on a phased basis.
"How quickly that will happen will be dictated by how quickly essential services can be restored at the hospital".
'Major concerns'
Pádraig said the Accident and Emergency Department is also a big concern.
"Dr Obada Yousif, the clinical lead at hospital, yesterday said that the most likely return for the Emergency Department will be on a treat and discharge basis at first, or a minor injuries clinic," he said.
"So obviously there are some major concerns in Wexford, and across the south-east, as to how long we're going to be without a functioning Emergency Department".
'Dancing with the devil'
Pádraig said the hospital was already seeing 'unprecedented numbers' before this incident
"I did speak to someone within the emergency services yesterday, and they stressed that we are likely to be without a fully functioning Emergency Department for months on end," he said.
"He suggested we'd be dancing with the devil in the coming weeks.
"If you have a heart attack today in Wexford town, you'll be going to University Hospital Waterford - which is quite a journey away.
"Before this fire it was something that Wexford General Hospital could ill-afford; we were already seeing unprecedented numbers of patients presenting at the ED.
"This is compounded by the fact that, overnight, half the bed capacity of the hospital has been wiped out," he added.
Listen back to the full interview below:
