Commitment sought on MRI building for Mullingar

Oireachtas Report, by Tim Ryan

A commitment that the necessary infrastructure will be put in place to allow the long-awaited MRI scanner come into operation at Mullingar Regional Hospital was sought in the Dáil by Fianna Fáil Deputy Robert Troy. 

Currently, he said, an adult patient in the hospital has to be referred to the Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore, while a paediatric patient has to be referred to Dublin.

A number of years ago the HSE promised the community of Mullingar that if it paid for the scanner the HSE would build and staff the unit with the specialist staff required, he said. 

As a result of this array of fundraising efforts, the target has now been met, he said and the funding is now in place to purchase this scanner.

“The department, which I acknowledged, has approved bringing the building to design and planning stage and the HSE officials have, over the last number of months, been engaging with the planning authority to try to address any of the obstacles that may be in the way when an official planning application is made,” he said.

The reason, he said he raised the issue was to seek assurances that once this planning application is approved – it is anticipated that this will happen in a matter of months – there will be no delay in advancing resources to bring this project to the next and final stages, which is the tender and construction stages. 

“This is an essential piece of infrastructure for early diagnosis, for investigation of many conditions, including stroke and cardiology and for people attending for surgery and the casualty units,” he added. 

In reply, Minister of State Catherine Byrne said the provision of a new MRI at Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar is included in the proposed new extension of the radiology department at the hospital. 

The project team is currently at an advanced stage in the pre-planning process with a view to lodging a full planning application in the first quarter of 2019. The HSE intends to complete the design of the project in 2019.

“The timeframe for the completion of these capital projects will be subject to the successful completion of the planning permission process and the availability of capital funding,” she said. 

“The Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, is happy to confirm that the provision of the new MRI facility at Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, has been included in the National Development Plan, NDP, announced last year, as part of the Project Ireland 2040 policy initiative.”