DUP ENVIRONMENT Minister Sammy Wilson, has given the go-ahead for a £267 million (€281 million) 312-bed acute hospital outside Enniskillen in Co Fermanagh. Work on the hospital is due to start in the spring.
For years Omagh and Enniskillen have been vying for the hospital and while it was previously announced that it was to go to the Co Fermanagh town this Christmas announcement by Mr Wilson appears to put an end to any lingering doubts about where it would be located.
The hospital, which is scheduled to be completed in 2012, is to be located on the Irvinestown Road north of Enniskillen. Based on a 16-hectare (40-acre) site, the application is for a hospital that will be three to four storeys high, will have a basement level, outpatients, accident and emergency wards, operating theatres and laboratories.
It is proposed to have 788 car parking spaces, workers' accommodation including a creche, and an energy centre. A new roundabout on the A32 Irvinestown Road and a bridge is also planned in order to facilitate access.
"There has been a lot of debate and discussion over the years about an acute hospital for the southwest. This decision means the project has now moved significantly forward," said Mr Wilson.
"From a planning perspective, clearly applications such as this which are of such huge regional importance should be processed as quickly as possible," he said.
"The granting of this application should also provide a welcome boost for the construction industry at a time of economic downturn," added Mr Wilson.
Ulster Unionist Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said the announcement was an important milestone in the development of world-class health and social care services for the area.
"Once completed, this new hospital will be the first in Northern Ireland to provide 100 per cent single rooms with en suite facilities. This will mean greater privacy for patients, as well as reducing the risk of healthcare associated infections," he said.
"The new hospital will have a range of acute services which will include: 24-hour accident and emergency; inpatient services including medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics, gynaecology and critical care; a range of diagnostic services and outpatient services," added Mr McGimpsey.
