“Latest Children’s Hospital resignation only deepens the fiasco,” Mattie McGrath
20-03-2019
Independent TD Mattie McGrath has said he welcomes the decision by the Chief Engineer of the National children’s Hospital to resign from his post. Deputy McGrath was speaking after Mr John Pollock, who has overseen the development of the site as Project director from its inception announced that he was stepping down from the role:
“All I can say is that this is one tendering that Mr Pollock appears to have gotten right.
In January I called on Minister Harris to use his discretion under The Code of Governance Manual for the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, and sack the entire Board.
The Code itself is absolutely clear: ‘The Board shall be accountable to the body public and the Minister (through the Department of Health), for its activities, its stewardship of public funds and the extent to which key deliverables and objectives have been met.”
Unfortunately Minister Harris failed to take the necessary action.
Instead he has created a situation whereby we are effectively witnessing a delayed mass resignation process; adding further disarray to the entire project.
As I understand it this is the fifth resignation from the Board.
What is galling to read however are the allusions Mr Pollock makes in his resignation statement to significant milestones being achieved and the operation of a “rigorous” procurement process for constructing the building.”
This is exactly and precisely what did not happen. Mr Pollock assured us all in 2014 that the Hospital would up and running by end of 2018.
Now he expects us to believe that it will be open by 2023. This is completely farcical.
The problem here is not the resignation but the incredible persistence in repeating absolute nonsense about how well the project is going, as can be seen in Mr Pollock’s statement and the NCHDB reaction to that statement.
The government must conduct an immediate independent investigation in order to assess the viability of re-tendering at a green-field site,” concluded Deputy McGrath.
