Children’s hospital review must be objective

YOUR story (March 8) that the new government is committed to a full, objective review of current proposals for the new children’s hospital is very good news.

Nobody has opposed the principle of rationalisation of the largely historic configuration of the existing hospitals. However, the current proposals, (driven by Minister Harney, Professor Drumm and Bertie Ahern), would be catastrophic — not least because they are needlessly expensive.

However, the hint in your story that the incoming government has been subjected to heavy lobbying for one alternate strategy is worrying. The review must be objective and consider all factors — including the pragmatic and economic use of existing facilities, the practical importance of having the elements of the children’s hospital on the same site as maternity hospitals, the physical traffic realities of the greater Dublin and the inclusion of existing experienced interests rather than closed, bureaucratic governance structures.