Michael McHale , 2025-05-02 07:30:00
Facility aims to ease pressure on University Hospital Limerick, where more than 100 patients were on trolleys yesterday
Construction on a long-awaited surgical hub in Limerick has commenced and is scheduled to be open to patients before the end of next year.
The €60m complex, which will have two operating theatres and two procedure rooms, has been beset by delays.
Back in 2022 then Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly announced plans to develop six surgical hubs around the country, in an effort to alleviate the pressure on overcrowded hospitals and address the waiting list crisis facing patients.
In December of that year the Government made a commitment that the facility would open within 18 months. All hubs were expected to be operational by the end of 2024.
Of the six hubs promised, two have been allotted to Dublin, with further sites planned for Galway, Cork, Waterford and Limerick. Just one – Mount Carmel in Dublin – has opened so far, with current Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill cutting the ribbon on the facility in February.
Despite Limerick experiencing the worst levels of hospital overcrowding in the country, the site where its surgical hub will be located – the old Scoil Carmel site – was only transferred into HSE ownership in recent months.
Planning permission was granted for the site in May 2024 with construction having recently commenced.
Yesterday the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation recorded 103 patients on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick (UHL), with 33 of these waiting in its emergency department.
“Once open, the Limerick Surgical Hub will enable us to reduce the number of patients waiting and will be one of the means by which we aim to achieve the Slaintecare target waiting time of 12 weeks for day cases,” said Ian Carter of HSE Midwest
“This development will facilitate us in optimising the use of our theatres at UHL, Ennis, Nenagh, St John’s and Croom and will ultimately contribute to improved patient outcomes and patient experience.”
Meanwhile Bon Secours, which is due to open a new private hospital in Limerick in September, has announced that Vhi customers will be covered for services provided by the new facility.
The agreement builds upon previous coverage commitments from Irish Life Health, Garda Medical Aid, Prison Officers Medical Aid, and Level Health.
Once opened, the new €190 million hospital promises to offer a wide range of advanced medical services and treatments including a new cardiology service to include comprehensive diagnostics and an interventional cardiology suite.
“We have a long-standing relationship with Vhi throughout our network and this new agreement will help more patients in the region to access the advanced medicine and exceptional care we provide,” said Bon Secours Hospital Limerick CEO Jason Kenny.
