Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced the acceleration of plans to deliver additional bed capacity at University Hospital Limerick (UHL).
Construction is continuing on a 96-bed ward block at the hospital. A further two 96-bed blocks are proposed to be developed as part of the overall masterplan for the UHL campus.
Minister Donnelly said:
“Today I am delighted to announce that the HSE are making arrangements to accelerate enabling works which will progress delivery of a new second 96-bed ward Block.
“This next phase of works to be progressed in the coming months at UHL will include an underground car-park, along with ground floor and first floor shell spaces together providing the lower floors of the next hospital block envisaged in the site masterplan.
“The HSE will also prepare plans to take forward a further phase of capital works that would include construction and fit out of a further four 24-bed inpatient wards as part of the upper part of second ward block. “
The Minister pointed out that an additional 975 permanent hospital beds, excluding critical care, have been put into the system since 1 January 2020.
“Further beds will be added throughout 2023. We have also increased our critical care capacity to 323 beds, which represents an increase of approximately 25 per cent over the 2020 baseline of 258 beds and HSE also plan to add a further 29 beds this year.”
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