Bernard Allen
Ceist:276 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason the extension to the Mercy Hospital, Cork, has not opened to date. [22625/98]
Written Answers. - Hospitals Building Projects.
The new development at the Mercy Hospital is a multi-storey building including four acute in-patient wards, a new pathology department and a psychiatric unit for the Southern Health Board psychiatric services. The estimated capital cost of this new development will be in the order of £15 million.
As part of the final process of commissioning the new development, I have this year provided a sum of £600,000 to the hospital to enable it to proceed with the staffing of the development with a view to bringing the new facility into operation. Formal approval has been granted to the hospital for the employment of an extra 92 staff. An additional sum of £400,000 was also provided for the fitting out of the shelled-out space on level five of the new development.
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that preparations for the opening of the new development are almost complete and I have recently accepted an invitation from the hospital to open the new development on 7 December 1998. With the completion of the new development, the Mercy Hospital will have an even more important role in the provision of health care in Cork. I want to emphasise my commitment to ensuring that the Mercy Hospital will continue to contribute in a significant way to the provision of hospital service in Cork city.