Madam, – Maurice Neligan (HEALTHplus, July 27th) at this too late hour now objects to the Mater site for the new children’s hospital on the basis of a constrained site, central location, and proximity to adult general hospitals. The architects, planners, and many paediatricians on the development board all say that there is adequate space on the Mater site. The Mater is reasonably close to Heuston and Connolly stations, Busáras and Metro North will serve it.
Multiple private bus services terminate close by. Paediatrics (medicine and surgery of children) needs to be close to adult medicine/surgery for many reasons, including academic exchange, specialty developments,expensive investigative technology and nurse/medical teaching and training.
Paediatric nephrology and neurosurgery work very well at Temple Street becase of close clinical and geographical relations with Beaumont Hospital, allowing kidney transplants and sophisticated neurosurgery to be performed in a children’s environment at Temple Street.
There exists close collaboration between Temple Street and the Mater in ophthalmology, ENT, plastic surgery, metabolic medicine, for example.
Having worked for 30 years in Temple Street, I am not aware that children suffered significantly because of a crowded, cramped,compact, central location. Children appreciate committed, warm,caring professional staff, a nice environment and their space.
Temple Street has won awards as a place in which to work. We should all welcome the Government’s commitment to funding,Prof Drumm’s vision, Ms Harney’s support and the extensive consultation (including children) which has already taken place. Paediatrics needs to come together and to work together for children. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Since we the taxpayers now own the vast Irish Glass Bottle site at Ringsend, accessible to people from all over Ireland via the M50, M1 and Port Tunnel, would it not be an ideal location for the new children’s hospital, with beautiful views of the Irish Sea and beach at Sandymount for the children.
It also seems a bargain at the moment! – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I hope Bertie Ahern, Mary Harney and Brendan Drumm read Maurice Neligan’s article “I was wrong about the children’s hospital site” and Fintan O’Toole’s article the same day (HEALTHplus and Opinion, July 27th).
I hope with a little stretch of their imaginations, they put two and two together.
I hope they, like Maurice Neligan, have the moral courage to admit they were wrong on the Mater site as the location for the National Paediatric Hospital.
Too much to hope for? For the sake of future generations of sick children and their parents from all over Ireland I hope not! – Yours, etc,