The first of its kind.
A new 98 bed wing has opened at the Mater Hospital in Dublin.
The €103m Rock Wing now sees an additional 16 new intensive care unit beds and a new National Isolation Unit on top of the beds.
Each room is a single room and patients will be given the go-ahead to be brought in by the end of next month following systems tests.
The new National Isolation Unit is set to be used for major infectious disease cases and is planning to be used in the event of another pandemic.
The new nine storey building is set to treat around 5,000 patients each year and took the last two years to build following Covid-19 emergency legislation.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Professor Jim Egan, clinical director at the Mater Hospital, noted that the model could be replicated in other hospitals.
He also added that recruitment for staff has caused issues but now are progressing well and aim to have the wing open within the next few weeks.
The intensive care unit will be opening in phases with two beds at a time due to staff training and the National Isolation Unit will be fit for purpose in the next 12 to 24 months.
The Mater Hospital deals with major trauma, life-threatening injuries and major accidents, with the new wing also dealing with those cases.
A second major trauma centre will be put into Cork University Hospital as well as various other trauma units across the country.
