National Children’s Hospital will transform children’s healthcare
THE new national children’s hospital is badly needed and will transform the delivery of children’s healthcare in Ireland, Health Minister Simon Harris told the Dail. ‘We will move from antiquated facilities to fitfor-purpose, single en suite rooms for every child,’ he said. ‘We will go from living in a country which has 14 theatres for our children to one which has 22.’
The equipment at the new children’s hospital is about so much more than beds, he said. It will include five MRIs with space for two more, three CT scans, 30 ultrasounds and seven X-ray rooms, all of which will be state-of-the-art.
‘We will provide outdoor recreational space and school facilities for some of Ireland’s sickest children, for many of whom this facility will not just be a hospital but will be a home for many weeks and for some, many months,’ he said. ‘New outpatient centres will be provided at Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown and Tallaght University Hospital, with the former opening later this year. All this major investment will transform our children’s health service and will be underpinned by a new model of care.’
However, the Minister said it was true that the costs of this project have increased significantly and taxpayers want to be assured that their investment is being managed correctly. ‘An inquiry has begun and will report back by the end of next month and the Government will act swiftly on all of its recommendations,’ he said. ‘We will not be found wanting when it comes to acting against any entity or any company if errors were made. Lessons must and will be learnt and the Cabinet took a number of decisions in that regard.’
In relation to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil deputy Brian Cowen last September, he said he should have answered it more fully as it would never be his intention to mislead Dáil Éireann. ‘I should have added further detail to inform that a process was ongoing to finalise costs and that updated costs would be known when that process concluded. I sincerely apologise to the House for not doing this and I specifically apologise to Deputy Cowen, who tabled the question.’