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The decision to build the new national children's hospital at the Mater site in Dublin has been referred to as "a political decision."
The former chairman of the board set up to build it, Philip Lynch, told The Irish Times last week that he had been "lured" into taking on the job as chairman of the hospital development board on a pro-bono basis by former Health Minister Mary Harney and former HSE Chief Executive Brendan Drumm on the basis that it was the right location.
More than 12 months into his job he discovered there were legitimate reasons to question the suitability of the site, he said.
No proper access or other studies had been carried out: "All it was was 'Drive on, bulldoze it, make it happen and to hell with the consequences'.
"Who commissioned the experts to start with? You really get the answer you want by commissioning the expert you want. I don't believe any planning or thought was put into it. This was a 'must have' decision and it was going to be on the Mater site or nowhere," he said.
The current chairman of the hospital development board, John Gallagher, yesterday welcomed the intention to carry out a review, but repeated his view that the Mater was a suitable site for the new hospital.
A spokesman for Ms Harney said she utterly rejected the suggestion that the location of the site for the hospital was politically motivated. He said the process of adhering to the expert advice was "rigidly observed".
(BMcC)
