Yes, Minister. Hospital units are of more use when they’re open

THE announcement this week that €85 million has been allocated to open new hospital facilities and take on extra staff, could have been in a script from an episode of Yes, Minister.

For months, if not years, all these spanking new units were standing idly by with as many patients as you would find evidence up trees in North Dublin - which is none. They’re rather like Martin Cullen’s €50 million worth of computers for the electronic system debacle - unused.

All over the country, €400 million worth of idle hospital units are sterile, as useful as an election promise.