Green light for children’s hospital

A TEAM of international experts is believed to have endorsed plans to build a national children’s hospital on the Mater Hospital campus.

The endorsement clears the way for Health Minister James Reilly to announce that the €650 million hospital will go ahead at the controversial site, where more than €30m has been spent.

If the minister goes ahead tomorrow with existing plans for the hospital, without material variation, then the project’s development board could lodge an application for planning permission by the end of next week. If there are changes to the plans, the planning process could be set back by at least six months.

This year delays in the project have cost hundreds of thousands of taxpayer’s money, costing, at one point, €650,000 a month.

Dr Reilly promised a review of the project if elected, and, in keeping with this, the review commenced in mid-April.

When announcing the review Dr Reilly said it would examine whether the potential clinical benefits of locating the children’s hospital at the Mater outweighed any cost differential and design issues, including access, of locating elsewhere.

Asked about the future of the hospital last night vis-à-vis the review Dr Reilly said he would “come to a firm conclusion on that very shortly and an announcement will be made on Wednesday”. The review was due to go before Cabinet today.

Louis Rodan, a parent of sick children and chair of the New Crumlin Hospital Group, which has lobbied for a new facility, said last night the debate about location was “now over” and that it was time to “get on with it”.

In May the Irish Examiner revealed that John Gallagher, former chair of the children’s hospital development board, did not have confidence in the board to handle such a crucial and large-scale project.