Minister announces green light for €1bn children’s hospital

THERE was some relief for beleaguered Minister for Health, Simon Harris, last week, as he announced that work on the long-awaited children’s hospital can get underway on the St James’s Hospital campus.

Construction of the Paediatric Outpatients and Urgent Care Centres on the Tallaght and Connolly Hospital campuses will also commence within weeks, it was re-vealed.

Government approval of the investment required to enable the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board to award the construction contracts means that the projects can proceed without delay.

Minister Harris, who has been on the backfoot following the Sisters of Charity maternity hospital row, said the move last week was a huge step forward that would end years of doubt as to whether the hospital would ever be built.

“Today, there is no more doubt,” he declared. “This hospital will be built. The new state-of-the art children’s hospital, and the two Paediatric Outpatient and Urgent Care Centres will provide a fitting place where we can provide our children with the best modern clinical care.

“Our children have waited a long time for this new hospital but there is light at the end of the tunnel now,” he added. “Site clearance work, which began last year, is almost complete so we’ll start building works in the next few weeks.”

The minister anticipated that the new hospital will open in 2021, with the two Outpatient and Urgent Care Centres at Tallaght and Connolly opening well in advance, at the end 2018 and the first quarter of 2019.

A long-time campaigner for a new children’s hospital in Ireland, Louis Roden, who is Chairman of the New Crumlin Hospital Group, said: “This is a great day. This is another critical milestone in helping us realise the vision and dream of ensuring that the sickest children of Ireland are treated in a modern world class facility, one that is fit for purpose. The opening day can’t come quickly enough.” 

In a joint statement, Helen Shortt, CEO of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Mona Baker, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, and David Slevin, CEO of Tallaght Hospital; said: “These facilities will be a big improvement for children, young people, families and staff. The design and the range of facilities that will be available under one roof will be exceptional.”

Minister of State for Communities and the National Drugs Strategy, Catherine Byrne, also welcomed the announcement that the Government had given the green light for the €1bn project.

“This is fantastic news and the decision means that this vital project can now pro-ceed without delay, to the benefit of all children in Ireland,” she said.

Minister Byrne, who is a local TD to the new children’s hospital, added: “The new hospital is one of the most exciting projects to come to the Dublin 8 area in a long time.”

Fianna Fáil Senator, Catherine Ardagh, said there was much local excitement that the National Children’s Hospital would be located in the community.

“Not only will it provide much needed care to sick children, but it will also be a major boost to the local economy,” she said.

“This project needs to start full construction as quickly as possible,” she added. “Further delays would result in increased costs for the taxpayer.”