THE TAOISEACH WELCOMED the progress of the new National Children’s Hospital today as he toured the facility, which is “80% complete” according to the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB).
Micheál Martin acknowledged the spiraling cost of the facility in the Dublin suburb of Rialto, but promised that the finished hospital would be worthwhile.
“It remains the state’s most significant capital investment in healthcare ever. I suppose in the fullness of time, when one looks back on that with the benefit of hindsight, lots of perspective will come into the story and the narrative around the construction of this hospital,” he stated.
“And as I say, it’s an investment that’s crucial to the future of our children to future generations.”
Over €1.1 billion has been spent so far on the hospital’s construction and the NPHDB said last month that the project will cost more than the €1.43 billion approved by the Government in 2018.
The building work is estimated to be finished by March 2024, while another six months will be necessary to move in the necessary equipment and to facilitate training to help staff adapt to the new location.
Martin and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly also took part in a tree-planting ceremony with service users of Children’s Health Ireland.
“It’s been a long journey, a very long journey,” Martin continued.
“As a former Minister for Health for over four years and being a parent who understands the experience of parents in children’s hospitals, I can tell you that we are genuinely bowled over by the design of this hospital, which is very much in line with the needs of children.”
The Journal visited the site today as project director of the NPHDB, Phelim Devine, gave a tour.
Two large gardens on the 4th floor of the building will provide a play area and a source of relaxation for parents and children alike, he said.
“This will all be landscaped with seating for children and families. Every room will have a view of some sort, on the inside set of rooms you’ll see into the Rainbow Garden here, on the outside layer of rooms you’ll see Phoenix Park, the Dublin Mountains and the city centre in each directions.”
The hospital will also have an elevated helipad for bringing emergency patients into operating theatres as quickly as possible.
The helipad will be shared with St James’s Hospital on the same site and the NPHDB has estimated that approximately four emergency flights will use the helipad each week.
Almost all equipment installed in the hospital will be brand new, aside from some recently purchased MRI machines, the price of which has already been factored in to the ballooning cost of the project.
Every patient room will have an edutainment tablet for patients and a couch that slides out to become a single bed for visiting parents.
This is in addition to a 30-bed bloc in the hospital for parents with children in longterm care.
Speaking to journalists at the tree-planting ceremony, Martin refused to comment on whether Donnelly, his Fianna Fáil colleague, would retain the health portfolio once the position of Taoiseach is rotated back to Leo Varadkar.
“I’m meeting Leo at another function and we both agree, along with Eamon Ryan, that we wouldn’t add to any speculation in relation to this.”
The finished hospital will have 1,000 car parking spaces, with 625 designated for families of patients and the remaining 325 for the approximately 5,000 staff who will work there.
When asked how it was possible to have such a small number of parking spaces for staff, Minister Donnelly said that public transport was essential for the hospital and that a new Luas stop would be created outside the hospital.
“If we listen to our colleagues in government, to the Greens, and if we take seriously what’s going on and the messages we’re hearing out of COP27, if we’re to believe them as we do, we have to take it deadly serious. Part of that is moving to more sustainable living.”
Plans aren’t currently in place for how the children’s hospitals in Crumlin and Temple Street will be used once healthcare has moved into the facility, Donnelly said, but discussions are ongoing.
“Some of the hospitals are talking about using them for elective surgeries, outpatients departments, diagnostics hubs, community based services. So I think I think there’ll be a lot of interest in in the existing facilities and investing in them to upgrade them.”
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