This article is from page 4 of the 2008-03-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
SERIOUS questions have emerged as to the HSE’s commitment to the future of Ennis General Hospital as the long promised hospital upgrade has been put on the long finger.
Five months after planning was granted for the first phase of the €39 million upgrade, the HSE has still
not sent the plans to tender.
This week, the health service ad- mitted that the upgrade was depend- ent on the much feared Teamwork Report which was set up to review acute services in the mid-west. It also admitted that the plans for the hospital have been put on hold unless additional funding can be found.
A total of €39 million had been
included in last year’s capital budget for the project.
The HSE announcement flies in the face of reassurances made by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health before the last General Election.
Speaking in the Dail, Deputy Tim- my Dooley (FF) said, “Towards the end of last week, I was approached by a friend who works within the health
sector who advised me that the HSE has or is about to remove the planned upgrade at the Mid West Regional Hospital at Ennis from the national development plan of the HSE’s capi- tal works programme for 2007-11.”
He said that the HSE has tried to stop the development at every oppor- tunity by putting forward “the notion of value-for-money audits, cost-ben- efit analyses etc and has tried at every opportunity to block the project”’.
“What I want is a commitment that this project will go to tender this year. It is not acceptable to take mon- ey that is planned for the mid-west to use it to solve problems in Dublin,” he said.
Speaking during the same debate, Clare Deputy Pat Breen (FG) re- minded the Tulla TD that he was in government.
Meanwhile, the HSE released a statement that said it had submitted the 2008 capital plan to the depart- ment for approval.
“When the other acute priorities, which have no contractual commit- ments, are taken into account…there are some projects which will have to be delayed for a year or so or may have to be put on hold unless addi- tional funding can be identified or they can be substituted for another project in the plan.
“In the context of the capital fund- ing available this year, existing con- tractual commitments, competing national priorities and cash flow projections, the Ennis project is one such project.”