Govt criticised over delays in planned hospital projects

The lobby group Patients Together has criticised the Government over delays in planned developments at two hospitals in Mullingar and Dublin.

Reports this morning said the projects at the Mater Hospital and Longford/Westmeath General Hospital had been delayed due to concerns about costs within the Department of Finance.

Responding to the news, Patients Together spokeswoman Jeanette Byrne said the Government should not have announced the developments if they were not certain to go ahead.

She accused the Fianna Fail-Progressive Democrats of announcing such schemes to win credit from the public and secure re-election before abandoning them five or six years down the line.