A company that built defective schools has been awarded a contract to build a new ward at University Hospital Limerick.
A new 60 bed development is due to come on stream at the facility, which serves patients in North Tipperary development.
The company that built schools later found to have structural problems, is to build a new hospital ward in Limerick.
The 14 million euro contract for the 60 bed development – which will serve North Tipp, Limerick and Clare – was signed in May.
However, it’s emerged that it was awarded to Western Building Systems.
42 schools built by the company were found to have structural defects, and the Department of Education is currently pursuing legal action against them.
However, the UL Hospital Group says the contract is progressing well and it expects the new beds to be open in time for Winter 2020.
The news comes as UHL is the busiest hospital in the country today, with 62 people waiting for beds, according to the INMO.
39 of those are on trollies in the emergency department, while a further 23 are on wards elswhere in the hospital.
That’s followed by 40 at Cork University Hospital, and 36 at St. Luke’s General Hospital, Kilkenny.
While there are 26 patients without a bed at South Tipp General Hospital.
According to the INMO, there are 484 patients in total on trolleys at hospitals across the country.
