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Question marks remain over siting of national children's hospital

Issued : Friday 30 July, 2010

Recent Comments by Dr. Maurice Neligan on the siting of the National Children's Hospital at the Mater in Dublin North Inner City confirm the views long held by Labour Party TD Dr. Mary Upton

Deputy Upon said: "Dr. Maurice Neligan, has recently withdrawn his formerly enthusiastic support for the construction of the National Children's Hospital at the Mater Hospital in Dublin's north inner city. I welcome his honesty in admitting that he was effectively 'hoodwinked' into supporting this site, with 'crucial decisions were made on limited and selective criteria and without honest debate'."

"I have been long opposed to the location of the hospital at the Mater. This is a hospital for the entire country not just Dublin. In my view, locating this in the inner city on an already choked site does not make sense for parents travelling from Sligo or Waterford with their children. What is even worse is that this project continues at a time when we are closing wards in Crumlin Children's Hospital and we have 1,800 children on waiting lists for operations.

"It is clear that this decision was politically influenced in an effort to 'bring home the bacon' to Drumcondra. But narrow political opportunism should not be the deciding factor in a vital national facility. Far better to reopen the wards in Tallaght, Temple Street and Crumlin, cut the waiting lists and begin to plan for more august economic times when we can develop a world class paediatric hospital on a green field site, which the state most likely already owns thanks to NAMA. A high-tech, state of the art facility is needed to serve the children of this country, but the location should be chosen to provide optimum health care, access and environment."