Coombe claims hospital would cost half price

The €650m cost for the long-delayed national children’s hospital could be halved if the facility was built at the Coombe instead of the Mater, it has been claimed.

Senior officials at the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital in Dublin made the claim yesterday in their latest bid to convince decision-makers to base the development there.

In a submission to an independent group choosing the site, master of the Coombe Dr Chris Fitzpatrick said his hospital’s proposal would be a “deluxe version” of existing plans “at a significantly lower cost”.