THE LONG-AWAITED redevelopment of the State’s National Rehabilitation Hospital, which would see it gain an extra 100 beds, has been put on hold indefinitely.
The project has been postponed to see if an “innovative” way can be found to fund it in the current economic climate, and pending the outcome of a review of national rehabilitation services.
The project, which had been in planning for years with a design team appointed back in 2004, finally got the go-ahead from planners in 2008, and a preferred tender for the construction of the project was chosen early last year.
The estimated cost of the development is €114 million,
However, the HSE in a written reply to a question from Fine Gael TD Paul Connaughton, said its board had decided in October last to put the project on hold for a period of time in order for the HSE to stay within its capital budget for 2009.
It added that given the HSE’s capital budget had been cut for 2009 and again this year, it would not be possible “to progress this project by traditional means in the foreseeable future”.
However, it said the HSE would continue to engage with the National Rehabilitation Hospital to try to move the project forward.
Meanwhile, Minister for Health Mary Harney told the Oireachtas Health Committee this week that a review of rehabilitation services, due to be completed this year, was likely to suggest some rehabilitation beds be provided around the country rather than having everyone travelling to a central location in Dublin.
Mr Connaughton said that while many would like to see rehabilitation beds around the country, this review was “a stalling tactic” given that the money to build the new hospital was not being provided.
He said, people needing treatment at the National Rehabilitation Hospital would continue to have to wait long periods in acute hospital beds around the country.
Dr Áine Carroll, chairwoman of the medical board at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, said that as far as she was concerned the hospital had selected the lowest tender for the redevelopment last year and was awaiting word from the HSE on its decision.
“If this is on hold we would be absolutely devastated . . . it’s so clearly desperately needed,” she said.
“We have got to remain optimistic,” she added.
While understanding the current economic climate, she said the number of beds at the hospital was “wholly inadequate”.