Children’s hospital - Mater plan must be reconsidered

THE sudden resignation of Philip Lynch, the Government-appointed chairman of the board of the new national children’s hospital, has thrown into sharp focus the ongoing controversy surrounding the choice of the Mater Hospital in the heart of Dublin as its proposed location.

Anyone who has to negotiate the capital’s traffic snarl will know how daunting it is to drive through the city at any time of the day or night. The thought of having to face this nerve-wracking challenge with a seriously ill child in the car is absolutely terrifying.

How to get across the city quickly in a serious emergency is a dilemma likely to haunt every parent that has to undertake the journey — regardless of whether they are coming from Dun Laoghaire or Dingle. Obviously, people unfamiliar with Dublin will find the challenge even more arduous.