Vaccination centres cost the HSE €17m for rental and fit-out

The HSE overview shows the costliest vaccination site has been the Helix Theatre DCU, with €428,684 in rental costs and €560,000 in construction and equipment hire. File picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

The HSE expects to pay out more than €17m in relation to vaccination centre costs by the end of next month, with discussions ongoing to maintain the network of centres into next year.

The two costliest centres are the Helix and Citywest in Dublin, with the HSE spending almost €1m each on both centres in a six-month period, with half of that on rental costs.

In an overview document about vaccination centres around the country, the HSE said it  expected to pay a total of just over €17m, made up of €8.8m in site construction costs and equipment hire as well as a smaller amount spent on builders works and medical equipment, and another €8.3m in site rental.

The second costliest vaccination centre is Citywest Convention Centre, with €640,000 spent on site rental costs for the March-September period and another €320,000 on construction and equipment hire. File picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Those costs only apply from last March to this September, but with vaccine rollout expected to extend into the winter, a fresh round of rental payments are likely.

The HSE overview shows the costliest vaccination site has been the Helix Theatre DCU, with €428,684 in rental costs and €560,000 in construction and equipment hire. The second costliest is Citywest Convention Centre, with €640,000 spent on site rental costs for the March-September period and another €320,000 on construction and equipment hire. Citywest has 50 new vaccination booths while the Helix has 40.

Among the least expensive vaccination sites is Bantry Primary Care Centre, which has 15 new booths. There was no rental fee and just €25,000 spent on construction and equipment hire. 

Among the least expensive vaccination sites is Bantry Primary Care Centre. There was no rental fee and just €25,000 spent on construction and equipment hire. File picture: Brian Lougheed

It is one of four centres countrywide for which there are no rental costs associated, including Cork City Hall, while two centres had rental costs of just €26 – Letterkenny Institute of Technology and Sligo IT.

According to the HSE: "Discussions are ongoing with locations to maintain a network of vaccination centres going forward to year-end and into 2022."

It said works were tendered where possible and "value for money was always evaluated with costs. Local contractors were utilised in areas to meet the demands in setting up vaccination centres".

Parents and their children queue in the pouring rain outside the Citywest Covid-19 Vaccination Centre in Dublin as vaccinations of children and teenagers began last weekend. Picture: Damien Storan/PA Wire

The HSE said the site build included the rental of the partitioning systems that formed the vaccination centre layout, with builders' work required at locations to facilitate the vaccination centre, such as access, parking, traffic management, staff welfare facilities and public toilets.

There had been some concerns raised regarding the location of some vaccination centres, including that at the Radisson Blu hotel on the outskirts of Limerick City, located 8km from the city centre and near a dual carriageway. One issue was the difficulty some members of the community would face in trying to access the centre, prompting the introduction of a shuttle bus service.

The rental cost associated with that facility is €354,960 for the March-September period, with another €180,000 spent on site construction costs and equipment hire there.