Harney: Hospital to be retained as public facility

ST LUKE’S Hospital in Dublin which has been caring for cancer patients from all over Ireland for 56 years will be retained as a public health facility when its cancer services close in 2014, Health Minister Mary Harney said.

The minister gave a verbal guarantee that St Luke’s would not be sold during a meeting of the Oireachtas Health Committee yesterday to consider the Health (Miscellaneous) Bill 2010 to allow the transfer of the hospital and surrounding land to the Health Service Executive.

There is a provision in the proposed legislation that the health authority cannot dispose of the land in Rathgar without the consent of the minister.