Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children, Jerry Buttimer TD, has congratulated Build4Life / Cystic Fibrosis on the success of their lottery application, providing funding for an in-patient isolation and bed facility at Cork University Hospital.
Deputy Buttimer was commenting on an announcement by the Minister for Health, Dr. James Reilly, to approve funding of €150,000 for the development of 11 in-patient en-suite bedrooms for adults with Cystic Fibrosis. It is expected that a further €150,000 will be provided for the facility in the new year.
“I am delighted that the Minister has approved the application of Build4Life for a dedicated Cystic Fibrosis care unit at CUH. This National Lottery funding will complement the money already raised by Build4Life and will bring development of the facility closer to fruition.
“The decision by the Minister is recognition of the campaigning efforts of Build4Life. For five years Build4Life has been campaigning to develop facilities for the Cystic Fibrosis population at CUH. Already they have succeeded in establishing a CF Day Centre and now this funding is a further step to developing an in-patient ward.
“I have continually raised this issue directly with Minister Reilly and his team. In late October the Minister, in answering my parliamentary question, confirmed that he was actively considering Build4Life’s lottery application and that developing the adult in-patient facility remained a priority. This decision is confirmation of his commitment to developing facilities for the CF population.
“I hope that the additional funding required to complete this facility can be provided next year. In the interim the good working relationship between Build4Life, the HSE and Minister Reilly should be used to develop a programme to bring about the successful conclusion of this project.”