The North's First and Deputy First Ministers have opened the new £55 million Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, Co Derry, describing it as one of the "biggest single investments in healthcare in Northern Ireland".
The hospital will serve 100,000 people living in the Coleraine, Ballymoney and Moyle areas and will also be used as a teaching hospital for students at the University of Ulster.
It has 240 beds and includes three operating theatres, four x-ray rooms, an accident and emergency department, an obstetrics theatre and consulting suites.
The Deputy First Minister, Mr Mark Durkan, said the hospital was a visible sign that health was a major priority for the North's Executive. "We want to raise health standards to match those of the best regions in Europe, eradicating inequality in health," said Mr Durkan.
The First Minister, Mr David Trimble, said improving the health of the most disadvantaged in society was one of the Executive's main aims. "This new Causeway Hospital will not only look after the health needs of the local community, whose persistence, professionalism and people power helped bring it about, but also the many visitors who come to the area during the summer months," he said.
A UUP junior minister and local MLA, Mr James Leslie, however, warned that the hospital's future in terms of securing specialised staff and maintaining services could be uncertain if a funding review was not urgently undertaken.