Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to update the House on the capital development projects at the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar.

The Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, is a model 3 hospital delivering a 24-7 emergency department, general medicine, including regional stroke thrombolysis, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics-special care baby unit, and critical care, alongside a range of local and regional services on an inpatient, daycase and outpatient basis.

The catchment area for the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, includes patients residing in Westmeath, Longford and the greater midlands area. The significant population increase in the midlands region, coupled with other factors such as ageing demographic pressure, has placed significant additional demands on the hospital.

As the Deputy will be aware, there are a number of distinct proposals for development at the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar. I understand a submission for capital works to accommodate the provision of a second CT scanner for the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, is currently being prepared by the hospital management in conjunction with the local HSE estates office. The submission will have to be considered by the HSE’s capital steering committee before it can be approved. The application for a second CT scanner for the hospital will also be considered in the context of all other priority medical equipment replacement requests across all acute hospitals and subject to the availability of capital funding.

The provision of a new MRI at Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, is included in the proposed new extension of the radiology department at the hospital. The project team is currently at an advanced stage in the pre-planning process with a view to lodging a full planning application in the first quarter of 2019. The HSE intends to complete the design of the project in 2019.

I understand that the Friends of Regional Hospital Mullingar, already referred to by the Deputy, has completed substantial fundraising to support the MRI facility and the Minister would like to acknowledge its contribution.

The timeframe for the completion of these capital projects will be subject to the successful completion of the planning permission process and the availability of capital funding. The Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, is happy to confirm that the provision of the new MRI facility at Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, has been included in the national development plan, NDP, announced last year, as part of the Project Ireland 2040 policy initiative. The NDP provides €10.9 billion for health capital developments across the country, including both national programmes and individual projects across acute, primary and social care. The delivery of the NDP projects and programmes, including developments at the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, will result in healthcare facilities that will allow for the implementation of new models of care and for the delivery of services in high quality modern facilities.

The Department of Health and the HSE are currently engaged in a process to finalise the HSE capital plan for 2019. The plan will determine the projects that can progress in 2019 and beyond, having regard to the total available capital funding and the relevant priorities of each project. All health capital projects currently at various stages of development, such as those at Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, are included as part of this process. Once the HSE has finalised its capital plan, it will be submitted to the Minister for Health for his consideration.

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