Green light for €45m hospital despite costs denial

A €45 million hospital and radiotherapy development for Waterford has been given the green light by planners clearing the way for work to begin next month.

Doctors behind the project welcomed the news despite Health Minister Micheál Martin’s comments that neither revenue nor capital resources had been committed by his department towards the provision of radiotherapy services in private hospitals.

Dr Ken Patterson played down the minister’s reply to a Dáil question saying there could be no question of having an agreement in place covering the use of the proposed hospital before construction had started.

He pointed out that the facility would not be operational until 2006.

“I find it somewhat strange that some politicians should be fixated on whether there is currently an agreement between ourselves and the Government on funding public patients at the hospital we propose to develop at Butlerstown,” Dr Patterson said.

“When work begins on our project, and particularly as it moves closer to becoming operational, we will enter detailed negotiations with the Department of Health and Children and the South Eastern Health Board on the provision of radiotherapy to public patients.

“We will also be negotiating with the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) and the main private health insurers.

“Such discussions can not logically proceed two years in advance while we are just emerging from the planning process for the hospital,” he said.

Dr Patterson, consultant anaesthetist/ pain specialist, together with Dr Mark Rowe, general practitioner, lodged the planning application.

Last night, Dr Patterson said the developers hoped to be on site later this summer, with a view to having the hospital in service by mid-2006.

The project’s progress may be halted by appeals to Bord Pleanála which can be lodged up to the end of the first week of July.

Dr Patterson said the project, planned for the main Cork/Waterford Road, had received huge support from public representatives and the community.

To allow the granting of planning permission for the project, councillors had to vote in favour of a material contravention of the Waterford County Development Plan.

“We hope we can now move swiftly to the start of the construction phase,” Dr Patterson said.

“Under the hospital’s charter, a minimum of 20% of the beds will be set aside for the use of public patients and this figure will increase considerably with effective use of the NTPF, which facilitates public patients in accessing treatment more quickly,” he added.