O’Shea insists funding for hospitals will not be cut
DESPITE concerns that cuts to capital health budgets resulting from the overspend for the National Children’s Hospital could impact on projects in Cork, the HSE has signalled its intention to plough ahead with its ongoing programme of refurbishment works at Millstreet Community Hospital.
This after it emerged the authority has lodged a planning application with Cork County Council for the second phase of its multi-million plan to overhaul facilities at the hospital.
It makes provision for the demolition of a number of existing structures within the hospital grounds, including two single-story extensions to the rear of the building, a section of the kitchen extension, and walls at the rear and front of the site.
It also incorporates internal works to the existing hospital structure and the construction of a new extension incorporating 11 en-suite bedrooms, kitchen and dining room, new extended day rooms, toilets and assisted bathrooms, administration offices and internal link corridor and other ancillary rooms. The application also makes provision for a secure garden courtyard, a landscaped outdoor ‘wandering route’ pathway and increasing the number of parking spaces from 18 to 32.
Welcoming the latest development, Cllr John Paul O’Shea (FG) said the refurbishment works, and those planned for Kanturk Hospital, would be funded by an almost €10 million windfall from the government’s Capital Investment Plan.
He rubbished any suggestions that this funding may be pulled as part of the €100 million worth of cuts, half of which will come from the capital health budget, to help fill the financial gap created by the Children’s Hospital.
“I have been given assurances from the highest level in government that the €9.7 million funding package for Millstreet and Kanturk Hospitals has been ring-fenced and will not be cut in any way. The HSE are also clearly confident this will be the case in light of the fact they have lodged the planning application for Millstreet,” said Cllr O’Shea.
He said that he had visited Millstreet Hospital last October with Jim Daly, the Minister of State with Responsibility for Older People and both had been impressed with the standard of work already undertaken at the hospital.
“The second phase of the works, which have been prepared by the design team over recent months, will see the facilities there improve even further,” said Cllr O’Shea.
“These refurbishment works will make the hospital a stateof-the-art facility that will appropriately cater to the needs of its patients and its staff. I look forward to the swift progress of this application through the planning phase and, once approved, the subsequent tendering and construction phases,” he added.
Council planners have set a date of April 18 for a decision on the application.