Contract signed for £22m Mayo General Hospital expansion

16 December 1998

"The overall impact of this development on the hospital will be enormous, transforming the institution we are standing in today into a state-of-the-art facility, designed to meet the needs of Mayo patients into the new millennium," said Minister of State at the Department of Health, Dr. Tom Moffatt at the signing of the contract for the £22 million capital phase 2 development at the Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar on Friday.

Dr. Moffatt described the occasion as an auspicious one in the history of the hospital and extended his best wishes to all involved in the major work that now lay ahead.

Welcoming the main contractors, Sisks, on site, he said their presence and that of the appointed sub-contractors, H.A. O'Neill (mechanical engineers), Tim Kelly Ltd (electrical engineers) and Mid West Lift Services Ltd., would be a source of enormous satisfaction to the hospital staff and people of Mayo who had waited long for the major development.

The development will provide the hospital with new accommodation in the following areas:- a 33 bed orthopaedic unit, a 15 bed geriatric assessment unit, a 35 bed acute psychiatric unit, an obstetric and delivery suite, a medical admissions day unit, palliative care unit, accident and emergency department, pathology department, oratory, post mortem/mortuary, conference/educational facilities, concourse/administration services/medical records department, central supplies store/ Bio engineering workshop.

Dr. Moffatt said existing accommodation to be upgraded will include the out-patients department, paediatric unit, radiology department, physical medicine and pharmacy department. One of the existing theatres will also be extended to cater for orthopaedic procedures. The construction work is expected to take two and a half years to complete.

Dr. Moffatt paid tribute to the hospital staff who provided a quality of service that was second to none. "The excellent reputation of this hospital as evidenced by the strong sense of attachment that the Mayo people feel to it is owed to their dedication and professionalism. I am delighted for all involved that this development will provide them with the facilities and working environment that they deserve."

He went on to say that the Castlebar development was an important part of the Government's overall strategy for addressing regional imbalances in the delivery of hospital services. The Government and his Department were engaged in a programme of investment aimed at achieving regionally self-sufficient networks of local regional and general hospitals. The major investments being made in Galway, Portiuncula and Roscommon were complementary components of the achievement of this strategy in the West.

Connaught Telegraph - News & Sport - December 1998