O’Sullivan calls for new elective hospital to be located in Glanmire

Fianna Fail TD for Cork North Central, Pádraig O’Sullivan has called for the selection of St Stephen’s, Glanmire as the most suitable site for a new elective hospital for

Cork.

St Stephen’s Hospital, Glanmire, was built under Dr Noel Browne, former Minister for Health, on 90 acres of land. Comprising of a thirteen-bay three-storey (south facing) main hospital block and ten standalone units all in the one complex, it has a huge kitchen and dining area adjacent to the main stores. A mortuary and research laboratory are also located on site, along with its own water tower with enough supply for a small town, with everything connected to the public sewage line.

Deputy O’Sullivan commented: “As a decision on the location of the new elective hospital for Cork is imminent, I am calling on the Department of Health and the Government to use prudence and common sense in selecting St Stephen’s, Glanmire as the most suitable site.”

ACCESSIBLE WITH ‘UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITY’

St Stephen’s is located in a population growth area of the city and within 600 metres of the Cork-Dublin motorway. Connectivity can be further enhanced by the new city northern orbital road, running from Ballincollig, through Blarney and ending in Glanmire. This can provide proper access from areas around Macroom in the west and Mallow / Charleville in the north. While the areas of east Cork, west Waterford and south Tipperary will have easy access without going through the city.

Deputy O’Sullivan continued: “The population catchment area for the new hospital would be in excess of half a million people and growing, and the city urban area is expected to grow by 50% over the next twenty years, highlighting the importance of any public infrastructure of this nature to have the capacity to meet demand going forward.

“St Stephen’s is not only a project of the present, it has unlimited opportunity for future expansion due to the large land bank on which it sits. The advantage to the taxpayer is that we already own this valuable resource. There will be no need to spend hundreds of millions purchasing land in another part of the city,” the Cork North Central TD concluded.