Bantry General Hospital's medical assessment unit must be protected to reduce attendances at University Hospital Kerry.
That's according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, which is calling for urgent action to reopen the hospital.
Bantry General Hospital is currently closed to new admissions due to a shortage of consultants in the hospital, and its acute services unit is being restricted until at least September.
The hospital is run by the South/South West Hospital Group, which says the public needs to consider other care options in the interim.
The INMO says the closure is diverting patients to already-stretched hospitals, including University Hospital Kerry.
The union adds that the medical assessment unit must be protected to reduce attendances at emergency departments in Cork and Kerry.
A protest has been organised for 1pm on Sunday in the square in Bantry town.
The INMO says its representatives will be attending the protest, but it hopes to see real action before then.
