Extra E85m for hospitals long overdue

The announcement yesterday by Health Minister Micheál Martin that E85 million has been allocated for the opening of new hospital facilities, with approval for extra staff, was long overdue.

Hopefully, it will mark the end of a scandal which saw those urgently-needed facilities built but idle, while money which could have opened a substantial number of them, was wasted on other projects.

While there was no money to alleviate hospital queues or to provide more beds, or relieve pressure in overstressed accident and emergency departments,