Harney backs HSE decision on Mater

THE Government has given full backing to the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) decision to locate the new national children’s hospital at the Mater Hospital in Dublin.

Two Dublin hospitals, Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children and St James’s, had said they could not support the HSE’s recommendation and called for the decision to be deferred until it was independently reviewed.

The location for the new facility that will merge the existing three children’s hospitals in Dublin was chosen by a task force made up of representatives from the Department of Health, the HSE and Office of Public Works. Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney said she was happy that the task force undertook “a rigorous and robust” examination of the key issues in making its recommendation that the new children’s hospital be located on the Mater site.