Health Minister to Propose New Hospital in Limerick – Urgent Update!

BREAKING: Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill is set to recommend the construction of a new hospital campus in Limerick. This critical development follows the recent HIQA review, which outlined three options for improving healthcare in the Mid-West region. Sources confirm that both Options A and B are being advanced to Cabinet.

Deputy Willie O’Dea disclosed that the Minister intends to pursue further expansion at the current University Hospital Limerick (UHL) site while also establishing a second hospital campus near Dooradoyle that will operate under shared governance. “This is a significant step toward enhancing healthcare services in the Mid-West,” O’Dea stated.

Plans also include expanded services at St John’s, Ennis, and Nenagh hospitals, with an emphasis on increasing bed capacity and improving ambulance services. The proposal is expected to reach Cabinet within weeks, aiming for approval before Christmas 2023.

“This is good news for the Mid-West region, which has suffered since the closure of the three A&E departments in Ennis, St John’s, and Nenagh in 2009,” O’Dea highlighted. He emphasized the urgency of getting construction underway as quickly as possible, stating, “I am confident we will have positive news for the region.”

The proposed model requires identifying a new hospital site that is easily accessible for both medical staff and patients. This announcement comes on the heels of the long-awaited HIQA review published in October, which identified three potential solutions for healthcare improvement: expanding UHL (Option A), developing a second campus (Option B), or establishing a new Model 3 hospital with an additional Emergency Department (Option C).

O’Dea noted, “In previous administrations, we alerted the then Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, about the unsustainable practice of channeling half a million patients through a single A&E in Limerick. The HIQA report is a direct response to our concerns and has led to today’s promising development.”

As the region anticipates these crucial changes, all eyes will be on the upcoming Cabinet meeting. The community is hopeful that with Minister Carroll MacNeill’s backing, vital healthcare improvements will soon become a reality, addressing the pressing needs of local residents in the Mid-West.

Stay tuned for further updates as this story develops. The urgency of these changes cannot be overstated, and there is a collective hope that the proposal will pave the way for better healthcare access and quality in the region.