HOSPITAL'S FUNDING

Sir, - The article referring to an announcement of funding of £8m for James Connolly Hospital (September 24th) is misleading …

Sir, - The article referring to an announcement of funding of £8m for James Connolly Hospital (September 24th) is misleading and inaccurate. The Department of Health will provide only £4 million for the improvement of our hospital, not £8m. The other £4m has to be raised by the hospital itself, by selling off most of its land.

The announcement was first made by the Minister in March 1995, and confirmed in the Dail 18 months ago. The transaction, by which the James Connolly Memorial Hospital will receive minimal funding, takes place when other hospitals - Limerick, Naas, Vincent's, Castlebar, etc. - have been publicly funded by £20-30m each.

Our hospital serves a population of 200,000 and has received no public funding in forty years.

The community is being forced to sacrifice 100 acres of badly needed amenity land and accept another 1,000 houses in an area already suffering from severe congestion.

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The land itself is worth £10m and there is public concern; regarding the use to which the surplus will be applied. Why the necessity to sell all this land? Surely this is a case for generous funding. Instead, the Department of Health appears to be embarrassed by its tiny contribution and seeks to disguise it with the "£8m funding" press statement. - Yours, etc.,

Chairman,

Dublin 15 Community

Council,

St Mochta's Community

Council,

Clonsilla,

Dublin 15.