Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss with the Minister of State an excellent project for Roscommon University Hospital and the western region. As I said before, the medical rehabilitation unit is one of three major capital developments planned at Roscommon University Hospital. The other two are an endoscopy unit which is open and extremely busy and a hospice care centre that will be funded by Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation. We have also agreed to fund the staffing of the unit. There is a clear demand for a medical rehabilitation facility in the west. Almost one quarter of patients treated at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire normally reside in the HSE West region as there are no dedicated rehabilitation units in the western region. As it stands, the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire is the only comprehensive rehabilitation facility in the Republic of Ireland for patients with physical and cognitive impairments. As we all know, the demand for its services continues to rise. Clearly, there is a need to meet that demand. I am delighted that the National Rehabilitation Hospital has strongly endorsed the €7.85 million project planned for Roscommon University Hospital.

What we are looking at initially is the development of a ten-bed inpatient ward on a greenfield site on the Roscommon University Hospital campus. Another ten beds are also expected to be delivered on a phased basis into the future. The unit will operate as a satellite centre under the auspices of the National Rehabilitation Hospital and relieve pressure on existing services. It will also allow patients to be treated in their own community. The need for the facility has never been so important and today I am raising some concerns that the project may not be moving as fast as we had hoped. My understanding last December was that the design team for the project would be appointed in the first quarter of this year. However, six months down the road, the tender documents to appoint a design team have not even been issued and I am wondering why there appears to be a delay in the process. My strong belief is the design team should be well in place by now in order to move this important project along to the planning stage. I look forward to the Minister of State shedding some light on my query.