The Southern Health Board is to sell off two of its major assets, a committee of the board has agreed in principle. These include St Finan's Hospital in Killarney, a large listed building on 50 acres overlooking the tourist town and its mountains and lakes, likely to fetch many millions of euro.
Sources have denied that the sale of the sprawling Gothic-style limestone building, a protected structure rated of national importance, and some of its lands, is being proposed because of a shortage of money.
The board, which has an annual budget of €935 million recently announced the closure of a 30-bed ward at Tralee General Hospital, one of its biggest hospitals, for the summer. It has also curtailed outpatient clinics at the hospital during holiday periods because of cost overruns in demand-led schemes.
In the past the facility has been severely criticised in inspectors' reports, with recommendations that patients be transferred because of the unsuitability of the accommodation.
Members' representatives agreed in principle to the sale at a meeting of the Psychiatric Services Committee in late April, but decided not to bring the recommendation to the full open meeting of the board until more detailed valuation and technical reports had been carried out.
It has been agreed in principle that land and property at St Kevin's Hospital, Shanakiel, Cork, is also to be sold,