Replacement theatre at Merlin Park faces further delays

The new modular theatre building to allow orthopaedic surgery to resume at Merlin Park will not now open in October, causing hundreds of people in pain to face longer delays.

In an update this week on the orthopaedic theatres closed due to leaks last September, Chief Operating Officer of the Saolta Hospital Group, Ann Cosgove, admitted that signing the contracts with the builder had taken longer than expected.

“We have lost time in the last six to eight weeks. The process is being undertaken by the HSE procurement and estates…we’re hopeful it will be concluded in the next few weeks. I’m not actually involved in the process.”

Planning permission cannot be applied for until the contract has been signed, she stressed. A total of 182 operations had taken place in the refurbished theatre since it reopened after the leaky roof was repaired – at a cost of €192,000. When fully operational, an average of 60 procedures were done per week.

The last figure given by the HSE had put the waiting list for orthopaedic appointments at 3,800.

Fianna Fáil Cllr Mary Hoade, chairperson of the Regional Health Forum West, said this was confirmation that the modular building would definitely not be opened by October has previously indicated.

Fine Gael’s Padraig Conneely said it was yet another example of mismanagement by local officials in the HSE.

“Will you bring in a business consultant to run the thing? People are waiting out there in pain. It’s certainly not going to happen in October. There’s no sense of urgency – it’s most disappopinting. This is going on since last September. You can’t give a date, you can’t give a time, you’re going nowhere. I know where you are going – you’re going around in circles.”

Ms Cosgrave retorted that the contract was being negotiated by two national departments and not locally.

She stressed that local management were calling every week to put all possible pressure to ensure a speedy conclusion to the deal.

Once the contract is signed, planning permission has to be applied for and the actual building will take up to nine months.