I welcome the construction of two replacement orthopaedic theatres on the Merlin Park University Hospital site. Construction commenced in March 2021 and is due to be completed by the end of this year.

The development consists of the construction of a 620 sq. metre floor area theatre building which includes two operating theatres along with the necessary ancillary accommodation to support the theatre suites.

This building will be connected to the main hospital block building by a short pedestrian link corridor which will be the access point for patients and staff to the theatre building.

“The project is long overdue and has been advanced because of the leaks in the old theatres which were deemed not fit for purpose almost 4 years ago. The issue has caused much anxiety for patients as the number of procedures being carried out had been curtailed in the interim”.

“I am also calling on the Hospital management to ensure the full complement of staff are put in place to ensure full use can be made of the theatres from the day they are commissioned. Immediate forward planning is now required to ensure the €10.2 m investment can be utilised from the beginning of next year”.

“We need to ensure that the theatres are used to maximum capacity at all times to ensure that the waiting times are reduced”.