Senator Gareth Scahill (Fine Gael) received an update from the office of Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill this week concerning the development of a new Primary Care Centre (PCC) in Ballaghaderreen.
The update confirmed that the HSE had terminated its agreement with the previously selected provider after the developer failed to commence work within the required three-month window.
According to the email the developer subsequently informed the HSE they could no longer proceed at the agreed rental rates which they committed to in their tender submission.
According to a spokesperson for the minister, three options are under consideration to move the project forward. The options being considered by the HSE are purchasing the proposed site with planning permission from the previous preferred provider at market value and the HSE would either tender works directly or run a ‘sale leaseback’ operational lease model with the site; purchasing an alternative site or building, if available, and the HSE would design and tender the works directly, or the HSE would re-advertise operational lease offering to the market.
The minister’s office says that officials in the Department of Health are “engaging with the HSE” to determine the best course of action to deliver the facility as expediently as possible.
Based on the recent developments as confirmed by the Health Minister, the future of the long-delayed Ballaghaderreen PCC is uncertain.
Fianna Fáil councillor Sean Moylan (Boyle MD) had previously sought an update on the PCC at the Regional Health Forum. First proposed in 2012, the plan for the new centre, located on Convent Road, included a modern two-storey facility with a GP suite, pharmacy, and a range of medical services across 13,300 square feet.
