The Minister for Health has been urged not to transfer acute psychiatric services from St Loman's hospital to the new £130 million hospital at Tallaght until August 1st. The hospital is due to open on June 21st.
The board of the Adelaide & Meath Hospital, Dublin, incorporating the National Children's Hospital, said it had taken the decision to appeal to Mr Cowen with great reluctance. It was made on the basis of logistical and clinical advice and on the hospital's budget.
"At the moment the date of the transfer of all services from the Meath, the Adelaide and the National Children's Hospital is still on schedule for June 21st this year," said a spokesperson.
The Fine Gael spokesman on Health, Mr Alan Shatter, has asked Mr Cowen to explain why Tallaght hospital was not properly equipped or funded to provide the service originally proposed, even though it was due to open next month.
"While it is inevitable that such a major development will have some teething problems, it is scandalous that the Minister has failed to address a series of major problems relating to the hospital that will prevent it from providing the services upon opening for which it was originally built."
He said Tallaght hospital was the most ambitious hospital development of the past decade and would be the first to provide child, adult and geriatric care on one site.
"Tallaght hospital should be a unique monument to excellence within the Irish health services in that it reflects the various ethos of the different communities on this island and its opening day is a cause of great expectation."