Sod-turning event:The sod has been turned on a €13 million medical unit that will provide life-saving facilities for patients suffering from cystic fibrosis, breast cancer, stroke and other neurological conditions.
The unit, to be built at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick, in 2014 – creating 100 construction jobs in the process – will provide a nine-bedroom isolation unit for cystic fibrosis inpatients. Each room will have en-suite facilities to prevent cross-infection.
Business student Katie Drennan (21), Ennis, Co Clare, who has cystic fibrosis and is awaiting screening for a double lung transplant, said yesterday the new unit would change her life. Her younger brother Jordan (20) also has the condition and is also being assessed for a double lung transplant.
“It’s a tremendous day,” said Katie, who is a member of the lobby group Tipperary, Limerick, Clare for Cystic Fibrosis (TLC4CF). “This new unit means peace of mind for so many CFs [cystic fibrosis patients]. It means we can be closer to home when we have to come into hospital.”
The unit will also provide care for patients who suffer from breast cancer, stroke/ neurological conditions and skin disorders.
It is being funded largely by the JP McManus Foundation and is being jointly developed by the Midwest Hospital Trust and the midwest branches of the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland and the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland. The hospital is to be renamed University College Hospital Limerick, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan said at a tree-planting event yesterday.