Clonmel hospital consultants welcome €50m "game changer" investment
Hospital consultants who spearheaded a public campaign for investment at South Tipperary General Hospital have welcomed a long awaited €50m capital investment announced for the hospital.
Professor Peter Murchan described the announcement as a “game changer” and Professor Paud O Regan said it was one of the most important days in the history of the health services in Tipperary and certainly the most important day in the history of South Tipperary General Hospital.
The announcement has also been welcomed by STGH manager Maria Barry who said the investment would greatly advance the service that can be provided.
The €50m investment comprises of a 12 bay overflow unit which is already operational, a €16m forty bed modular unit which is set to go out to contract in the next few weeks in the hope that it will be completed before next winter,a new €3.2m outpatient unit and a €24m 50 bed unit that will provide a permanent solution to the overcrowding crisis the hospital has been forced to deal with in recent years.
Professor Peter Murchan said the multi-million funding would finally secure the future of the hospital, which for years has struggled under the weight of both gross under investment and inadequate financial budgeting which resulted in future concerns over its actual viability.
“The excellent management teams of this hospital and the South\Southwest regional group however have been planning a new 50 bed (minimum) multiple ward block to include vital units such as new Coronary care unit, High Dependency Unit, an additional surgical day- ward, among many other developments. Accident & Emergency, General Surgical, Maternity, Gynaecological, Paediatric, Oncology, Acute Medicine and in particular medicine for the elderly services will now be enhanced significantly as a direct result of this major capital building programme which was always needed but until recently, was completely stalled. It is also envisaged that the building programme will also allow development of additional services not currently available in the hospital” said Professor Murchan.
Professor Murchan said it had been apparent to everybody in the county, that hospital bed capacity and therefore service delivery, has been seriously hampered particularly in past 5 years such is the demand for services.
Professor Paud O Regan said the announcement of the much-needed development on the hospital campus with some of it being in place before the end of this year and then with the immediate development of a new 50 bed unit was magnificent news for the staff of the hospital and for all the people of the County who are served by the hospital.
“When completed it will provide a wonderful facility, with greatly improved standards of work in the Hospital” said Professor O Regan.
The two Clonmel hospital consultants approached Deputy Michael Lowry in May 2016, on behalf of the medical board in the hospital, to assist in negotiating with the relevant Ministers in the current Government to commit the necessary funding to ensure this urgent expansion to help alleviate the massive overcrowding at STGH.
Today both Professor Murchan and Professor O Regan paid tribute to Deputy Lowry for his direct involvement in securing funding and bringing the project to this stage.
Maria Barry,hospital manager said she
welcomed the news in relation to the Capital Investment Plan and the future development of South Tipperary General Hospital and the effort put into this.
Deputy Michael Lowry said the staff and everyone involved at the Hospital in Clonmel have shown remarkable patience and resilience. “They have kept the hospital going during very difficult times and circumstances. We are now witnessing an amazing turnaround in the fortunes of South Tipperary General Hospital. It was only a short time ago since the Hospital was listed for downgrading” he said.