An Irish and Middle East group bidding to keep Dublin’s Mount Carmel maternity hospital as a medical facility has said it will create 300 new jobs if it is successful.

Paschal Taggart, the well- known businessman, has also emerged as an adviser to the consortium, which is led by Dr Ahmed Ramzi Salman, an Iraqi-born cosmetic surgeon.

His RAS group already owns the Park West Clinic in Dublin as well as clinics in Limerick and Kilkenny. About €20 million will be invested in Mount Carmel if the Irish- Gulf bidders are successful.

“It would be sad to see the hospital turn into a development. It has such a long history,” Dr Salman told The Irish Times. “We don’t need more houses in that area. If the hospital is sold off to developers, then it will be gone forever.”

Dr Salman, who trained in America and in University College Dublin as a surgeon, said: "We plan to create 300 jobs over three years, which will support at least another 600 jobs."

“We have big plans medically,” he added. “We would like to build a health village there.”

This would include a fertility centre, an ophthalmology centre, day surgery centre and a dentistry unit.

“We are always looking at opportunities,” Dr Salman, said when asked if his group was interested in acquiring other healthcare businesses.

Mr Taggart confirmed that he was advising the group.

“There are plenty of sites for apartments for Dublin. It would be nice to keep Mount Carmel as a hospital but it depends on the price.”

Confidentiality
Mr Taggart said the bid for Mount Carmel was well funded but he was unable to disclose for confidentiality reasons the exact make-up of the consortium.

Mr Taggart is also a director of the Sports Surgery Clinic in Santry, north Dublin, non-executive chairman of Datalex, the listed travel software company, and a partner in Cooney Taggart financial consultants in Dublin.