Minister for Health hopes to see NCH open by next Christmas
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill is hoping that the new National Children’s Hospital will be up and running around this time next year.
Carroll MacNeill spoke at an early access visit to the hospital, adding that she would have liked to have had access sooner.
According to the minister, the hospital’s construction company, BAM, moved back the completion dates on numerous occasions.
The National Children’s Hospital could finally be nearing completion. Pic: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos
However, Carroll MacNeill has seen better engagement from them over the past few months.
She explained that the engagement needs to continue and she expects it to continue over Christmas.
The minister also said that Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) was at the hospital, cleaning and preparing to move in.
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill hopes to see the hospital up and running by next Christmas. Pic: Sam Boal/Collins photos
Carroll MacNeill insisted that she is doing what she can to help this process.
The National Children’s Hospital was originally due to be completed in 2022 but has been pushed back again and again due to delays and rising costs.
The hospital has failed to meet its opening deadline 16 times.
The hospital has failed to meet its opening deadline 16 times. Pic: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin
The last completion date that BAM set was November 25, 2025, which was also missed.
The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB), who are overseeing the project, have said that the delays are causing deep frustration.
There were problems with the project from the get-go, with years of disagreement over the location leading to construction finally starting in 2016.
Carroll MacNeill has seen better engagement from BAM over the past few months. Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
Since then, the cost has soared from €987million to €2.2billion. The NPHDB has been withholding 15% of monthly payments to BAM until they can agree on a date for substantial completion.
CHI has insisted that hospital equipment will begin being brought through the doors in the coming days. However, the date for when patients can start getting treated is yet to be confirmed.
BAM stated that it ‘greatly welcomes the opportunity for early access and continues to engage closely with the NPHDB to facilitate this process’.
It added: ‘Areas of the hospital have been completed and offered to the NPHDB, enabling CHI to commence the commissioning process.
‘BAM remains fully committed to delivering this project to the highest standards, working closely with all stakeholders to actively manage the challenges involved and to secure the earliest possible opening date for the children of Ireland.’
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