The Minister for Health Simon Harris TD has announced that €1.5 Million has been allocated for the design and planning of the new rehabilitation unit at Roscommon Hospital.
Picture Credit: twitter.com/simonharrisTD
The news came at the official opening of the €5.5 million Endoscopy Unit at Roscommon Hospital this morning. The announcement brings many months of uncertainty to an end after it became apparent that the project was not included in the HSE 2016-21 Capital Plan this year. It was originally set to begin as soon as construction on the Endoscopy Unit was complete.
The Endoscopy Unit opened its doors to the public on June 1st and will increase the endoscopy capacity of the hospital from 15 procedures per day to 30 procedures per day or 6,000 per annum. There are currently 19 staff working in the unit, which will serve a large catchment area covering most of the west of Ireland.
The development of the new Endoscopy Unit is a key element to the progression of Roscommon Hospital. The unit is accredited by the Joint Advisory Group on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (JAG) and is an approved centre for Bowel Screening under the governance of the National Screening Service – Bowel Screening Programme. The new unit will have enhanced capacity for both symptomatic and screening patients and this will impact significantly on the early diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer.
Elaine Prendergast, General Manager, Roscommon Hospital said
“My colleagues and I very much welcome the development of the new endoscopy facilities in Roscommon University Hospital. The new unit is a purpose-built facility and meets all the international standards required for such a unit (JAG). This is a formal recognition that the unit has demonstrated its competence to deliver the standard of care required by international standards.”
Consultant Surgeon Dr Liam McMullen said
“I am delighted with the development of the new endoscopy unit. This will allow Roscommon University Hospital to deliver the latest high quality endoscopy procedures in a modern structured patient centred building. It will improve the delivery of care to patients and allow us to work towards delivering colorectal cancer screening services at a local and wider level.”
As expected the news of the €1.5 Million allocation has been broadly welcomed.
Boyle visit
It was a busy morning for the Minister for Health. At 10am he performed a sod turning ceremony for the new Primary Care Centre in Boyle. The Centre is set to be completed in August 2017 and will open to the public in September 2017.