Private hospitals on public sites to free up 1,000 beds, says Harney

Caroline O’Doherty and Catherine Shanahan

Health Minister Mary Harney will kick-start the scheme by reclaiming for public use 1,000 public beds currently used by private patients. She expects private developers to provide 1,000 replacement beds in new hospitals by 2010.

The move is part of the Government's strategy to tackle hospital waiting lists and accident and emergency overcrowding by increasing national bed numbers in public hospitals by 3,000.