Hopes CF unit will get tenders

CONSTRUCTION chiefs are confident many builders will be interested in the state’s “build now, get paid later” offer to develop the 120-bed unit at St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, which will include dedicated facilities for cystic fibrosis patients.

Health Minister Mary Harney said payment would be at the end of the construction phase rather than in staged payments.

She expects the unit to be operational as early as 2011.

The Construction Industry Federation’s director of tendering and contracting, Don O’Sullivan, said the funding cost of the e40 million unit would be wrapped into the tender and that some National Roads Authority projects had proceeded on the same basis.

“It occurs when there is a cash-flow issue and a public authority wants to ensure that a project starts this year but simply have not got the money to pay for it now,” he said.

“I am certain, given the present market conditions, that there will be many builders interested in bidding for the project. I would be amazed if there wasn’t,” he said.

A spokesperson for St Vincent’s said the hospital had planning permission and was now ready to go to tender.

The Health Service Executive recently admitted it would not have funding to build the facility until 2011 — at the earliest — despite a promise last year that it would be built by 2010.

Last week, the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland (CFAI) launched a national campaign to put pressure on the minister and the health authority to honour their promise to build the unit.

Almost 20,000 people texted the word ‘CHANGE’ to 51155 since last Friday as part of the campaign.

Darragh Crowley is one of about 300 CF sufferers who attends St Vincent’s. “It is great news that the project is going ahead but pressure should continue to be put on the minister so there are no more broken promises,” he said.

And while the eight single rooms provided at the hospital last August were very welcome, it was still a gamble as to who got the rooms because at any one time there were between 25 and 35 CF patients treated.

CFAI chairman Sean O’Kennedy said the minister’s welcome announcement was timely as they were planning to hold their national conference in Cork at the end of this month.