Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has visited the site of a new £7.5m medicines manufacturing facility, being built in the grounds of the Royal Group of Hospitals in Belfast.

Construction of Victoria Pharmaceuticals is scheduled to complete later this year.

The facility will provide specialist medicines for a wide range of patients including intravenous feeding solutions for neonates, ophthalmic preparations, controlled analgesia and cancer chemotherapy.

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It will also prepare, among others, medicine packs for renal patients, for meningitis prophylaxis, for Accident and Emergency Departments and for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service.

Mr McGimpsey said: "At present the production of hospital pharmaceuticals takes place across two sites within the Belfast Trust.

"The construction of this £7.5m purpose built facility will improve efficiencies and contribute towards the highest quality patient care.

The scheme is part of the Health Department's ten-year programme of investment in capital projects.

"This project is an important part of the health component of the Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland. It will bring at least £3bn of investment to modernise the infrastructure of health and social care services," added Minister McGimpsey.

(PR/JM)