68-bed field hospital built in two weeks opens in UL Sports Arena

Colette Cowan, head of the UL Hospitals Group, said she expects there will be a “surge” of cases of Covid-19, flu and respiratory related illnesses at UHL over winter.

The UL campus. File image

A €1m, 68-bed field hospital, has been opened at the University of Limerick, to cater for non-Covid-19 patients, including those who may have had recovered from the virus, as part of measures to free up acute hospital bed capacity in the mid west region.

The Interim Care Facility (ICF), which can scale up to 84 beds, was erected by members of the Defence Forces over the past two weeks, and is located at the UL Sports Arena.