Resources: The chairman of Tallaght hospital has expressed serious concern that it will be "asset stripped" of key consultants following the decision to locate the new national children's hospital at Dublin's Mater hospital.
Speaking after the opening of two new cancer treatment services at the hospital by Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney, former MEP Alan Gillis said it was "obvious" that consultants would gravitate towards the new hospital.
This prompted questions as to the level of resources and care which people living in Tallaght and the surrounding areas could hope to receive in the future.
"If you put services on a new site, in the one that is decided in the Mater, well then it's obvious that your consultants are going to gravitate that way," said Mr Gillis.
"Which means that you actually lose a lot of the things you can do here.
"Now we don't want that to happen under any circumstances . . . if we lose [ world class consultants] you lose with it your ability to serve the community.
"Hospitals are about people, they're about sick people, and the children's hospital, our National Children's Hospital here, like any other of the children's hospitals, they're about very sick children. Let's not forget about the sick children."
While the Government had made its decision on the matter, Mr Gillis pointed out that this would have a five-year lead-up period.
Tallaght was the fastest-growing town in the State with a large number of children and women of childbearing age living within its catchment area.
"What happens in the meantime? I don't want to see the national children's hospital here 'asset stripped'," he said.
"It has a huge contribution to make, beyond the five years, not only with a rapidly growing population, both from immigrants and our own population.
"We need to be able to cater for people properly locally, where they are."
Although the new national children's hospital on the Mater hospital site was planning to cater for children throughout the State, Mr Gillis also questioned how easy it would be to access it during peak times.
"Driving from any part of the country you'll 'fly' to Newlands Cross. Has anybody tried to get from Newlands Cross to the Mater hospital after three o'clock in the afternoon on any working day?
"And God knows what can happen," he said.
Tallaght hospital was designed to replace three base hospitals - the Adelaide, the Meath and the National Children's Hospital, he said. At the time, it was estimated that the "growing area" of Tallaght would require some 900 beds.
"The powers that be at the time said no, 600 beds is enough. And today we wonder why we have a problem?
"The place was built too small. Simple as that," he said.