Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach is aware of the great pressures on University Hospital Limerick in Limerick. There are 111 patients on trolleys this morning and there were 113 yesterday. I urge him to expedite a proactive measure. The Taoiseach is aware that a block for 96 acute beds is in the capital plan for University Hospital Limerick. UHL estates has gone to tender at this time. It is with HSE corporate, seeking approval to allow it to appoint a contractor to commence the building. It is an 18-month build. I ask the Government to support this approval by the HSE being expedited. We need to have shovels on the ground and we need to have that hospital in place. If they commence building on it straight away, we can have that block up and running by the end of 2023.

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