Council gives go-ahead to €45m hospital and cancer unit

A €45 MILLION hospital with cancer facilities was yesterday given the green light to be built.

Waterford County Council unanimously approved a change to the County Development Plan that will pave the way for the Waterford city hospital and radiotherapy unit to serve the south east region.

A material contravention of the county plan was needed to rezone the site of the proposed hospital at Butlerstown North on the Waterford to Cork Road from agricultural to institutional use. The plan met with unanimous approval yesterday.

The promoters of the proposed 40-bed hospital, Dr Ken Patterson, consultant anaesthetist at Waterford Regional Hospital, and Waterford city GP Dr Mark Rowe, had urged the council members to back their plan.

They last night said they were delighted the planning had been cleared and looked forward to the project progressing.

They said the hospital would significantly reduce the South East’s hospital waiting lists, attract pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, while its proposed radiotherapy unit would be capable of treating 95% of people in the region who require this treatment.

Dr Patterson said: “In excess of 500 patients per annum are currently referred from the south-east to Dublin or Cork for radiotherapy and many more cancer patients would usefully receive such treatment were it available within the region. This causes very considerable hardship and stress on patients and their families at what is already a difficult time.

“The new radiotherapy facility will dramatically improve access to this important cancer treatment and also significantly ease the physical stress on those patients who require it.”