Plans lodged for €50m private hospital

PLANS have been lodged for a €50 million 140 bed private hospital in Ennis, Co Clare, that will provide 400 new jobs when operational.

The plan by developers, John Stack and Pat Bonner seeks to construct a five-storey health facility that will have 120 in-patient beds and 20 day patient beds.

According to documents lodged with Clare County Council, the private hospital “will provide a full range of medical and healthcare services, including general surgery, urgent care, cardiology, oncology, cosmetic surgery and endoscopy”.

The facility will also provide physiotherapy, radiology, MRI scans, dialysis and dental facilities.

The proposed development site lies 2.5km to the west of Ennis on a site that is not zoned for community or hospital use and as a result will face significant planning hurdles.

Due to the zoning of the site, the planning application may require two-thirds of the 32 members of Clare County Council to rezone the site in order for the plan to secure planning.

The move also comes against the background of a radical overhaul of the operation of Ennis General Hospital, which last year lost its 24-hour emergency department and acute surgery facilities.

This year, the Health Service Executive intends to withdraw elements of acute medicine from the hospital.

Also, a community-owned hospital in Ennis, the 80-bed Cahercalla Community Hospital last year engaged in cost cutting measures, including the voluntary redundancy of 10 staff in response to the hospital recording a pre-tax loss of €450,000 in 2008.

Also, last May, the Beacon Group secured planning permission for a co-located 183 bed private hospital on the grounds of Limerick’s Regional Hospital.