A MASSIVE 43-acre site outside Limerick City marked for the expansion of hospital and health services near University Hospital Limerick has been bought for €14million.
But Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, who came to Limerick today (March 10) to make the announcement about the acquisition of the sizeable site in Raheen said she could not give specific answers about the provision of a second emergency department, as this would be a matter for a project board which she is to appoint.
The Minister told a press conference that she wants “the most ambitious proposals possible” for the site and a plan which will encompass “all of the recommendations of the HIQA report and go beyond them”.
The project board will comprise national and regional clinical and management representatives to develop a vision for the region.
The board will consider the delivery of acute services across Limerick and the development of two hospital campuses, the Minister revealed.
A formal delivery plan for short, medium, and long-term services in the Mid West is expected to be presented to the Government and the public this coming autumn.
The site, larger than St James’s Hospital in Dublin and comparable to Beaumont Hospital, will support two hospital campuses.
As well as drawing up a plan for the future of the strategic site, the project board is to develop a regional healthcare plan by 2026, focusing on immediate improvements, like cancer services in Ennis and Nenagh.
The Minister said the acquisition is part of a broader vision to centraliae acute services and leverage the region’s expertise in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and life sciences, aiming for advanced oncology trials and economic growth over the next 30 years.
Making the announcement, the Minister said there is now “the opportunity for not one but two acute hospital campuses delivering services for the people of this region”.
“Ultimately, I see, 30 years from now, patients from across the Mid West participating in clinical trials for the most advanced oncology drugs, because of the particular juxtaposition of services, hospital services, of research, of the research institute, and of the ecosystem of medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences that happens to be in this region already.”
She added that the development of the site will also be a reason for more inward investment in Limerick and the Mid West region.
“This is a really serious development, not just for the social fabric of the Mid West, but for the economy of the Mid West, for growth,” she said.