SOME 79 NEW jobs will be created in Leitrim as a medical devices firm announced a large investment in its facilities in the county.

VistaMed will plough €7.2million into R&D and production processes at its two bases, almost doubling its workforce in the process.

The company, which currently employs 93 people, said the investment supported by Enterprise Ireland will aid its growing export sales.

Jobs minister Richard Bruton this morning welcomed the new positions, calling the announcement “a great boost for Carrick on Shannon and the surrounding region”. He added:

In order to create the jobs we so badly need we must not only deliver high levels of multinational investment, but also create an indigenous engine of growth by driving a step-change in the performance of our domestic exporters.

However, he did not say when the new positions would be created.

VistaMed manufactures catheters and associated devices at its facilities in Rooskey and Carrick-on-Shannon.