Solid confirmation has been received from the Health Service Executive that approval has been granted for the construction of Thurles’s new Ambulance Base on the grounds of the Hospital of the Assumption, with the project to progress to the procurement and tendering phase. Local Fine Gael TD Deputy Noel Coonan who confirmed the news, was also informed that construction work has been included in the HSE Capital Plan for 2011.
Deputy Coonan commented: “I have made numerous representations to the Health Minister pushing for the advancement of this project and last Monday I received a letter of confirmation from the National Ambulance Service assuring me that the long-awaited facility is to proceed and construction work has been included in the HSE Capital Plan 2011.
Approval was given in December 2010 for construction to commence and this is very welcome news, albeit at a late stage. The new ambulance base should have been provided long ago and we’re still at a loss as to why it wasn’t constructed when the Hospital of the Assumption was built. Since then, however the provision of the base has been a priority.
I’m hopeful that now the new amenity will proceed without any further hiccups. The ambulance crew working in Thurles are entitled to top class facilities; especially with the pressure they are under and the vital service they provide.”
The confirmation letter, addressed to Deputy Coonan from the Administrator at the HSE’s National Ambulance Service section, also said that overall it is expected that the procurement, tendering and construction will take approximately 13 months to fully complete.
The project will incorporates an ambulance base, covered ambulance parking bay, staff car park and dedicated entrance/exit adjacent to the Hospital of the Assumption.
The Fine Gael CAP Spokesperson concluded by saying that he will continue to lobby Health Minister Mary Harney on the behalf of North Tipperary residents to ensure the project comes to fruition as soon as possible.
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