O’Dowd officially opens 29-bed ward in Our Lady of Lourdes hospital

A 29-bed ward at Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda has been officially opened by Fine Gael TD, Fergus O’Dowd.

The ward forms part of the major phase 2 capital development of the campus including additional beds, theatres and an expanded emergency department.

Speaking at the event, Deputy O’Dowd said: “This ward is a very significant step forward in terms of infrastructure to help support staff in providing high quality care.

“These beds ensure much needed additional capacity at Our Lady of Lourdes, and are an important expansion of the orthopaedic services provided here at the hospital.

“It is a very welcome addition to the beds in the medical ward opened last December.

“It is a very significant investment but represents money well spent – the individual en-suite rooms provide our patients with the dignity and care they require during their stay here in OLOL, but also enable us to stop the spread of infections which we all know continues to be a major challenge for our health service.”

Deputy O’Dowd continued: “I am very aware of the crucial work done here in Our Lady of Lourdes – and indeed in all our hospitals. I know that staff here work incredibly hard to deliver excellent services for patients, and want to do so in the best possible environment for patients.

“On this note, I would like to congratulate all of those involved in the planning and development of this project, including Gem Elliott Building Contractors, and of course HSE Estates.

“I want to particularly acknowledge the hard work of all the staff here at Our Lady of Lourdes, including your Clinical Director Dr. Sherif El-Masry, your Director of Nursing, Mr Adrian Cleary, and General Manager, Caitriona Crowley.”

Deputy O’Dowd concluded: “This Government recognises very clearly the infrastructural challenges faced by many of our hospitals.

“That is why our capital spending plan for the next 10 years provides a very significant increase in capital funding for our health service – with €10.9 billion capital funding for the next ten years will be 165% higher for the next 10 years than it was for the last 10 years.

“This is a sea-change commitment to capital investment in our health services. Project Ireland 2040 provides the funding to deliver the necessary infrastructure and equipment to support the Government’s vision for a high quality, safe, accessible and sustainable healthcare system.”

ENDS