Department expects tender responses 'imminently' for new national maternity hospital
A model of the new National Maternity Hospital on the St Vincent's campus in 2017. A department spokeswoman said on Monday enabling works are now 'well underway' at the Elm Park campus to clear space for the new hospital. File photo: Gareth Chaney Collins
The Department of Health has defended the pace of building a new national maternity hospital, saying tender responses are expected “imminently” from construction companies.
It follows former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on Saturday describing the build as “crawling along”.
Plans to relocate the National Maternity Hospital from its Holles Street campus to share the campus of St Vincent’s University Hospital came under fire during the covid-19 pandemic. Concerns were raised about religious interference in women’s healthcare.
The plan was first announced in 2015 along with plans to relocate the Rotunda and Coombe maternity hospitals. A department spokeswoman said on Monday enabling works are now “well underway” at the Elm Park campus to clear space for the new hospital.
“These works include relocating existing services while also improving the resilience of the wider Elm Park campus,” she said.
“In parallel we expect tender responses imminently from companies bidding for the main works to construct the new National Maternity Hospital at Elm Park.”
Responses to tenders from mechanical and reserved specialist companies are expected in early 2025. “These tenders will allow the final business case to be updated to incorporate the market response and inform final costs and timelines,” she said.
It is expected Government approval to sign contracts for the main build will be sought “in summer 2025”, she said. Construction on the main building can then begin.
The department did not respond to a question on when women might expect to be treated at the new hospital.
Mr Varadkar, who was Health Minister between 2014 and 2016, discussed the delays at the annual Doolin Memorial Lecture hosted by the Irish Medical Organisation in Dublin.
He acknowledged the need for more investment in hospital buildings. “What I do regret now is I’m not convinced that the pipeline at the moment is strong enough,” he said.
He said while previously parallel hospital projects for children, mental health and rehabilitation were underway, this is not the case now.
“The national maternity hospital project is crawling along, I don’t think it’s gone to tender yet,” he said.
“Certainly it hasn’t gone to construction, some enabling work has been done but that’s it.”
He added Limerick needs “a big investment” as well, including possibly an additional hospital.
