A scoping exercise to develop three new hospitals in Cork, Galway, and Dublin will be completed by the end of the year, health minister Stephen Donnelly has confirmed.
At his first appearance before the Oireachtas health committee, Mr Donnelly told members that a “spatial brief” and costings document was being developed under the guidance of Prof Frank Keane, chairman of the Elective Hospitals Oversight Group, which was set up last year and is carrying out a catchment area analysis for the new facilities.
This brief will be "really important" in determining the size of each hospital, including details such as the number of patient beds and operating theatres, the minister said.
Fine Gael TD Colm Burke, however, questioned the time taken to progress the plans.
“Even before a sod is turned on any of these hospitals, it is three years down the road and this is why this issue is now a priority,” said the Cork North Central TD.
Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane also questioned delays on the second cath lab at Waterford University Hospital, which will not operational until next year or 2022.
“In 2018 this was signed off on, and we’re now late in 2020," he said.
Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins
“It’s a case study for how long a capital project, from conception to delivery, takes to be actually delivered,” he added, asking the minister to examine the process to deliver capital projects.
Delays
The minister was also questioned on delays in progressing plans for a new emergency department at Galway University Hospital, while he confirmed the completion of a new modular emergency unit at Limerick University Hospital last week.
“We have pushed it right to the edge of what’s possible to do in one year,” he told the committee. "We have been very ambitious, and the focus now has to be on implementation."
Meanwhile, the health minister agreed to provide documents from April and May 2019 between his department and the now-defunct National Association of General Practitioners, which was at the centre of the GP contract leaking controversy that embroiled Tánaiste Leo Varadkar this week.
On the issue of reforming the HSE, Mr Donnelly said the re-organisation of HSE structures would pause during Covid-19, but the process of “rewiring” budgetary lines could begin.
Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins
Social Democrats TD Róisín Shortall expressed “serious concern” about further reported links between public officials and politicians and plans for a private hospital in Dublin.
“As long as there is this kind of stuff going on in the background, and a profit motive being a factor for a lot of people and potentially within the health service, we’re never going to get serious reform,” she said.
