€60 million health centre still not equipped

WHILE most of the mothballed hospital facilities can be attributed to a simple shortage of funds at the Department of Health, the fiasco of the vacant health centre in the €60 million civic building in Ballymun exposes a glaring lack of co-ordination between the various health authorities.

The civic building was developed by Ballymun Regeneration Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dublin City Council, as a key element in the regeneration of the area.

The Northern Area Health Board (NAHB) agreed in principle to become anchor tenant, taking up 60% of the building for the health centre and office accommodation.

The health centre would serve more than 100,000 people across the north County Dublin area, and would replace the existing Dickensian facility, which had to be closed at one stage last year on health and safety grounds.

But once the new centre was ready, the NAHB needed approximately €9m to fit it out. At that point, all manner of confusion ensued.

The NAHB, a spokesman said last week, “at all times made it clear to Ballymun Regeneration Ltd that the board's participation was subject to approval and funding at Eastern Regional Health Authority (EHRA)/Department of Health level”.

Yet earlier this year, the Health Minister said the development was pursued without the approval of his department. Whatever the case, the upshot is funding to fit out the centre has yet to be provided. And while the facility is no more than a shell that has never been used, the NAHB is paying millions in rent for it.

This week, the NAHB spokesman said the negotiations between the board, the ERHA and the department “are continuing in relation to the provision of healthcare facilities in Ballymun Civic Centre and more particularly in relation to the provision of necessary funding”.

A re-engineered financial package, which would include the NAHB selling some properties to raise cash, is being discussed.

But Ballymun residents doubt the matter will be resolved soon.

“Feelings are running high in the community. Residents feel let-down and abandoned,” said Aidan Smith of the Ballymun Neighbourhood Council.

“The health board has been anchor tenants at the civic offices for 18 months at a cost of €5.25m to date. In that time, not one single patient has been seen, because the health board claims it does not have adequate funding to furnish and equip the building.

“I don't know what we have to get the money. They seem to have plenty of money for Punchestown and Dublin 4, but they don't have it for health in Ballymun,” he said.