The organisation which funded the Centre for Public Inquiry has come to the assistance of a registered charity in Cork with a €10 million donation. It is to help establish a €30 million hospice providing palliative care for over 40 people.
Atlantic Philanthropies - set up by Irish-American billionaire Chuck Feeney - has made the donation available to St Patrick's Hospital Ltd for its Marymount Hospice, which cares for terminally ill patients throughout Cork city and county.
St Patrick's Hospital chief executive Kevin O'Dwyer explained the donation followed contacts between Atlantic Philanthropies and the Department of Health three years ago, when the American charity was seeking to assist projects for older people.
He said the department had just received the National Advisory Committee Report on Palliative Care Services in Ireland, chaired by Marymount medical director Dr Tony O'Brien, when Atlantic Philanthropies got in touch.
"The Southern Health Board had carried out a needs assessment after the national report, and it had identified the need for 44 palliative care beds in Cork. We had prepared plans for a new centre with that number of palliative care beds so we had a project that was ready to go," he said.
Atlantic Philanthropies programme manager Jean Manahan - based in Dublin - said the organisation was "delighted to support this initiative as many older people in Ireland are still dying in pain and without proper care".
"One of Atlantic Philanthropies' aims is to enhance general health services for older people. This includes palliative and hospice care at all levels in our health systems so more older people can access the sort of care they need to alleviate unnecessary pain and suffering at the end of their lives."
The €10 million donation will go towards a major redevelopment by St Patrick's Hospital of both Marymount Hospice and the accompanying St Patrick's Hospital which provides care for older people in the Cork area.
The hospital is planning to move from its location off Wellington Road to a 10-acre site at Ballinaspig Mor in Bishopstown, near the South Link Road.
The new centre will involve provision of a 75-bed hospital to replace the existing St Patrick's Hospital which has 64 beds.