The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has taken a tour of Wexford General Hospital in the aftermath of yesterdays fire. He was accompanied by the clinical director and the manager of the hospital.
Mr Donnelly visited some wards with in patient beds, endoscopy suites, maternity units and other units and said there is damage from the fire itself and also from smoke and water.
The Minister has given his immense gratitude to the amazing response to this emergency which saw critical care patients transferred through the night. He said the fact that there was nobody injured, no casualities and no fatalities is down to the extraordinary and professional response from everybody involvled.
Mr Donnelly has given his commitment to the people of Wexford that everything that can be done, will be done to re-build the hospital.
This will also include the promised 96-bed unit, the womens hub, critical care facilities and endoscopy services.
Funding and supports to ensure the hospital is up and running as quickly as possible will now be priority.
The Minister said he would hope that elected members or others would not use the devastating situaion to start scaremongering and that a calm and sensible response is now needed.
Mr Donelly said there is no date as to when the hospital will be reopened as reports will be needed on the structural integrity of the building but there could be a phased re-opening once the resources and services to patients can be provided.
