Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to discuss this very important issue regarding the national development plan. Transportation and agricultural issues have been discussed but health is also a major issue. If we take infrastructure in the so-called regions, the last time a public hospital was opened in the second largest city in the Republic was 1976, the year I was born. That shows the significant deficit we have when it comes to beds and providing for our growing population. The Cork hub has seen significant development and infrastructure such as a new hospital hub is important for the city. It needs growth and potential. The Cork University Hospital, CUH, campus, which Senator Buttimer knows more about than I do, has reached capacity and the site has no further development potential.We now need to look at a greenfield site for a hospital so we can develop the services required for our population, which is, like all of us, going one way. It is a very significant issue that we have to address. It has been discussed for so long, some 40 or 45 years at this rate, that a new green site for a hospital is not appropriate if we are to have sustainable development, which will not be about making sure that Dublin has all the major hospitals. If the second biggest city does not get a new hospital in the next five years then, unfortunately, regional development will stall very quickly.