Phase 2B to be ready early next year - Minister

The Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney T.D., has said that Phase 2B of the Midland Regional Hospital at Mullingar will be commissioned over the next number of months, and will be 'fully operational' by early 2009, pouring cold water on recent claims that the development will be affected by cutbacks.Minister Harney spoke on the matter at the last week"s official opening of the new state-of-the-art Ballinderry Clinic, a consulting clinic built adjacent to St. Francis" Private Hospital, Ballinderry, Mullingar.She said that Phase 2B of Mullingar Hospital was proceeding as planned, and that the facility had been commissioned on a phased basis.'It was delayed simply because all of our capital developments have to meet much higher infection control standards, such as the provision of more single beds and single rooms, in order to comply with the latest advice we have in relation to infection control,' the Minister said.'I believe it will all be commissioned over the next number of months, and by the start of next year it will be fully operational. After that, it is a matter for the HSE to examine the capacity issues in the Midlands, to see what further capacity may be required for a facility such as Mullingar.'Ms. Harney said that healthcare in Ireland was moving 'very rapidly' towards a lot more hospital activity being done on a day case basis, rather than on an overnight basis. 'That"s the way things are moving in the rest of the world as well,' she remarked. 'Clearly with these kind of changes, and more activity moving towards Primary Continuing and Community Care, we have to look at all our future hospital developments in this context.'The Minister said that a facility such as Ballinderry Clinic would take on a number of patients who would otherwise be treated in Mullingar Hospital. 'Because over half the patients in this region have private health insurance, they will be in a position to be treated here,' she continued.'The Treatment Purchase Fund will also continue to procure treatments in St. Francis" Private Hospital for those who are waiting longest for these procedures.'The Mullingar hospital came up at a recent meeting of the Dublin-Mid Leinster Regional Health Forum, where Westmeath county councillor Mick Dollard asked about the current status of plans for a psychiatric unit at the facility, in the context of the next phase of development.Mr. Hugh Kane, the HSE"s Assistant National Director for Primary Continuing and Community Care, said that the original plan was for the Acute Admission Unit to proceed in parallel with developments on the Mullingar Regional Hospital site.'Longford/Westmeath PCCC is now reviewing its needs for acute psychiatric in-patient beds in the context of "Vision for Change" and the move towards a more community based Mental Health Service,' Mr. Kane told Cllr. Dollard.