A hospital development in Limerick, backed by business- man Mr J.P. McMan- us, has been frustrated by what appears to be a spurious objection lodged with An Bord Pleanála.
The Mid Western Hospitals Development Trust now believes the objector, who signed a first name initial and the surname, Kelly, and provided an address in Limerick, is bogus.
The person who resides at the address given has no connection with the objection to the extension to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital to house an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner, the first one for a Limerick public hospital.
The case was brought to light this week by the Limerick Evening Echo. A spokesman for An Bord Pleanála said bogus cases took time to ascertain. "If someone knows the system and knows what they are doing, they can frustrate an application. If something like that has happened, the board's usual respon- se is to fast-track the appeal through the system."
The health board is preparing a response. The trust's chair- man, Mr Louis Creaven, said he was disappointed the project would be delayed by four months. The scanner will not be operational until the autumn although the original commission date was May 17th.
The trust received €5 million of the €20 million raised in the JP McManus Pro-Am 2000 competition to help pay for an oncology unit and radiography services, including the installation of the €1.9 million scanner.
Patients have been travelling to Cork or Dublin, or have had to avail of the scanner at Barrington's private hospital in Limerick. Dr Sean Darby, a consultant radiologist, said the scanner was an essential part of a hospital's services, used to diagnose cancers and head and spinal injuries.