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• Acute hospitals
• Belfast City Hospital
• Mater Hospital
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Acute hospitals

If you need emergency medical treatment after an accident, go to the Royal Hospital, the City Hospital or the Mater Hospital. These acute hospitals provide accident and emergency services day and night. Medical treatment or surgery is free but long waiting times for assessment are likely.

When someone requires surgery or treatment for cancer, heart or psychiatric illnesses, the General Practitioner (GP) refers them to a hospital consultant. The consultant places the patient on a waiting list for free treatment. The Royal Group, the Mater and the City hospitals treat patients from all over Northern Ireland.