All buildings that are funded by the state should be owned by the state. That was according to Labour TD Alan Kelly after it emerged that a decision has been made to give the Sisters of Charity sole ownership of the new National Maternity Hospital.
The Sisters of Charity are the shareholders of the St Vincent’s Healthcare Group which the Department of Health has said is to be the sole owner of the new maternity hospital valued at €300 million.
Commenting, the Tipperary TD pointed out the congregation’s failure to meet their share of the cost of the redress scheme.
He has described the decision as ‘ludicrous’ and says when the Dail returns he will be calling on the Health Minister Simon Harris to give a full account on why this decision has been made.
In the meantime, the Minister has today responded to concern over the development, saying that there won’t be any religious influence on the governance of the new hospital and that it will have full clinical, operational, financial and budgetary independence.
