BAM criticises Health Minister over National Children’s Hospital comments

BAM has written to Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to express disappointment at remarks she made on RTÉ’s Prime Time about the builder’s ability to deliver the National Children’s Hospital.

In a letter dated 29 April, BAM chief operating officer John Wilkinson said the minister’s comments did not reflect the company’s documented track record in delivering hospitals, citing projects such as Beaumont Hospital, St James’ Hospital, Cork University Hospital and Tallaght University Hospital.

Carroll MacNeill had questioned the timetable BAM provided for the hospital handover, asking whether the deadline would be met given past experiences. Wilkinson responded that BAM has an “extensive and well‑established history” in healthcare infrastructure and suggested the minister’s statements should prompt reflection on the root causes of delays.

The letter, supplied to the Public Accounts Committee, also noted that BAM chose not to bid for the new National Maternity Hospital project and welcomed the removal of a body similar to the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board overseeing delivery.

Documents to the committee show a 60 % drop in on‑site staff between March and August, from 583 to 233 workers, as the project nears completion. A BAM spokesperson said the programme has always been “sufficiently resourced” and that specialist commissioning resources are being deployed as required.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: SHOX ART / Pexels.