Call to protect St Patrick’s hospital in Cashel from €100m in budget cutbacks - Wood 

Cllr Tom Wood called for Cashel Tipperary municipal district to back his call that spending for St Patrick’s hospital be protected in the face of cost overruns for the National Children’s Hospital.

At this month’s meeting, Cllr Wood said the children’s hospital cost overruns of €100m “will have to be faced” but that the HSE should not use money earmarked for St Patrick’s. The “long running saga” involves a new 90-bed unit for St Patrick’s, but the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) has stipulated that the building must meet certain requirements. If not, it will be closed completely. “I'd ask that the 90-bed unit not be held to ransom because of cutbacks. The Cashel project was in place, and was to go to planning in a couple of months' time,” said Cllr Wood. The move was seconded by Cllr Martin Browne.

Cllr Michael Fitzgerald stressed that St Patrick's is a “totally vital asset” to the community.