This article is from page 20 of the 2008-05-06 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 20 JPG
A FORMER Clare TD and MRSA sufferer has criticised the HSE for its extravagant use of expensive lime- stone cladding on a “glorified shed” at Ennis General Hospital.
Hospital campaigner James Breen said that with underfunding and over- crowding being blamed for the recent C- diff outbreak at the hospital, he received a number of phone calls in
recent weeks from hospital staff and the general public in relation to a building currently being constructed on the grounds of the hospital.
“This building is being faced with limestone, which seems to be ex- travagant in what I am led to believe is a glorified shed to house electrical equipment for the hospital, while staff and patients have to use pre-fabricated facilities for their needs,” he said.
The HSE has defended the con-
struction of the power sub-station on the basis that it is part of the site master plan and will integrate with it when completed.
“The first floor of the hospital re- development is to be stone-clad and the substation will match it as part of an overall scheme which has passed through the appropriate process of public review,” the HSE has said.
However, the proposed €39 million redevelopment will not commence
this year as funds were diverted to another project in Dublin. It is also unlikely that the project will get un- derway next year unless additional funding can be made available. James Breen says the new construc- tion is totally at odds with the exist- ing hospital building and pre-fabri- cated structures already on site. “This building is completely out of character with the others on the com- plex but more importantly is whether
this €1 million expenditure is justi- fied,” he said.
But the HSE claims that “given the prominent location of the Energy Centre on the site, the overall mas- ter plan and the protected structure status of the hospital, the additional cost involved in achieving the level of finish is not deemed excessive.
In December 2005, the emergency generator at Ennis General failed during a power failure forcing the