Is the Children's Hospital Open Yet?

The Story So Far:

June 30th, 2025, is the long looked-forward to date when Ireland's National Children's Hospital will finally open its doors for business.

We know this because the Minister for Health, Mr Stephen Donnelly, TD, was interviewed on This Week on RTÉ Radio 1 on Sunday, October 6th, 2024, and said so. Minister Donnelly said that BAM, the building company involved in building the hospital, had committed to a deadline of June 30th, 2025.

While the Minister named the date he didn't also mention the time. In the spirits of sportsmanship, benefit of the doubt and what used to be called during Covid-Times "an abundance of caution," we're willing to cut the poor sap a break and give him until one second to midnight before the clock runs out, again, on the monument to folly and incompetence at 31 James's Walk, Rialto, Dublin 8, D08 E191.

Will the Hospital doors swing open on deadline, or will the nation be treated to more of the same?

In the News:

Wednesday, January 15, 2025. RTÉ News.

No date set for opening of National Children's Hospital in draft Programme for Govt

The new draft Programme for Government says the government will open the new National Children's Hospital, and will build the new National Maternity Hospital, however no dates are set out.

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/0115/1491041-programme-for-government-health/

Sunday, October 6th, 2024. The Irish Times.

National children’s hospital: Construction firm BAM commits to June completion date

Building firm BAM has committed to a completion date of June of next year for the new national children’s hospital in Dublin, Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, has said. The hospital was initially scheduled to be completed in 2020 with a budget of €650 million. Four years later the final bill is expected to be in the region of €2.2 billion. In an interview with RTÉ on Sunday, Mr Donnelly confirmed he had met senior executives from BAM last week.

https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2024/10/06/national-childrens-hospital-construction-firm-bam-commits-to-june-completion-date/

Wednesday, September 25th, 2024. Newstalk.

Fear National Children’s Hospital €2.2 Billion Cost Could Increase Again

The new National Children’s Hospital’s €2.2 billion price tag might grow even further, a member of the Oireachtas Health Committee has warned. The Chief Executive of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board will appear before the committee today and outline why construction company BAM has moved its completion date 14 times in the past four years. David Gunning will also tell the committee the approach being taken by BAM shows complete disregard for sick children, young people and their families.

https://www.newstalk.com/news/fear-national-childrens-hospitals-e2-2-billion-cost-could-increase-again-1767960

Saturday, June 1st, 2024. RTÉ News.

When will the new National Children's Hospital open?

The new National Paediatric Hospital will be a world-class facility and mostly all-digital, with very little paper. It will also serve the children of Ireland and support their parents for about 100 years. But it will also remain long in the memory as a by-word for how a national public project should never be managed. It will likely hold the unenviable record as the most expensive children’s hospital in the world and have taken around two decades to build and open.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2024/0601/1452380-childrens-hospital/

Thursday, May 30th, 2024. The Irish Independent.

Completion of €2.2bn National Children’s Hospital pushed out to February 2025, PAC hears

It could be February next year before the new National Children’s Hospital is complete, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was told today. The delay follows confirmation that the most recent timeline of October 29 for finishing the €2.2bn hospital would not be met. David Gunning of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board told the committee that the contractors BAM, in its most recent monthly update, said the new completion date was 2025. He said the board has directed the contractor to provide an updated progress report and it is yet to receive it.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/completion-of-22bn-national-childrens-hospital-pushed-out-to-february-2025-pac-hears/a2019583649.html