Sacred Heart Hospital’s future secure after €11m injection

Sacred Heart Hospital’s future secure after €11m injection


Ciara Galvin

News that the future of the Sacred Heart Hospital has been secured with the allocation of €11 million in funding has been strongly welcomed by councillors and the public throughout the county. The hospital will now be included in the HSE’s Capital Programme and granted a Capital Allocation in 2013.
Speaking about the allocation last week, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he welcomed the news and commended the Fine Gael town and county councillors on their efforts.
“The Sacred Heart Hospital has long been at the very core of community life in Castlebar, providing an exceptional standard of care. This can now continue to be the case for many years to come which is good news indeed for the people of Castlebar and its surrounds,” said An Taoiseach.  
Approval has been granted for the progression of planning and design for the refurbishment and extension of three long-stay wards and one rehabilitation ward at the hospital, with work to be completed by June 30, 2015. The approval is based on the hospital’s inclusion in the HSE West ten-year action plan, Public Residential Service 2013-2023.  

Fears allayed
Speaking to The Mayo News after the announcement, Fianna FΡil Councillor and member of the Save the Sacred Heart Hospital committee Al McDonnell described the news as a ‘very positive development’.
“Fears and anxiety expressed by staff, patients and the public have been somewhat allayed by the announcement. The campaign is still in full swing to ensure that statutory allocations are met and works are done before the June 30, 2015, deadline is reached,” said Cllr McDonnell.
Fianna FΡil Deputy Dara Calleary also welcomed the news that the facility could now be brought up to HIQA-approved standards.
“I congratulate the staff of the Sacred Heart Hospital and the local community committee, Save the Sacred Heart Hospital, for their great efforts in creating countywide awareness of the need for this funding in the past few months.”
Meanwhile, a threatening comment left on Save the Sacred Heart Hospital’s Facebook page has been reported to Gardaí, as its author threatened to murder An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, ‘JFK assassination style’.