Despite the massive reductions in the HSE’s building budget in the last four years, all bar one of the nine projects in Mullingar and Westmeath are finished or on schedule.
This was revealed in reply to a question from Cllr Mick Dollard at this month’s meeting of the regional health forum for mid-Leinster.
However, it must be cautioned that as this reply only refers to the capital projects under the HSE’s remit, these deadlines do not refer to opening dates, as the further hurdles of staffing and the public service moratorium will still have to be factored into this. As Phase 2B has already shown.
The commencement of the one outstanding project, the €6 million primary care unit in Clonbrusk, Athlone is expected to be announced as a public private partnership in May, as the HSE has already decided on its preferred contract.
Of the other eight projects scheduled for the county within the HSE’s 2009-2014 capital plan, all are scheduled for completion by the end of next year.
The famous Phase 2B at the Regional, the Clonbrusk disability day service; and the primary care units in Kinnegad and Moate are all already completed, while the primary care units in Mullingar and Kilbeggan are scheduled for completion by the end of this year.
The only outstanding structure is the new €16.5 million facility at St Mary’s on the Castlepollard Road in Mullingar, where a 100-bed unit is being built to accommodate 50 elderly residents from the existing St Mary’s, and another 50 from St Loman’s, and this is on schedule for completion before the end of 2012.
