A Century of Service - Eoin O'Brien

Matthew O’Brien,
Chairman of the Hospital Board 2004–2007
When I joined the Board in 1999 with the hope that I might be able
to help with new building plans, I had no idea of what else I was
getting myself into or of the history or circumstances of the Hospital.
I soon became aware of the difficulties under which the Board was
struggling to maintain the dermatology service. The eighteenth
century houses were not suitable to accommodate a modern Hospital
and significant structural alterations were not possible in these listed
buildings. When I read the 1988 Comhairle na nOspideal Report on
the future of dermatology services, which was updated in 2003, it became obvious that sooner
or later the dermatology service at Hume Street would be discontinued.
In the late nineteen-nineties and prior to my involvement, the Board had explored the terms
under which the transfer of the dermatology service to a new site could be achieved. However,
when it became clear that the proposed transfer of the service to St. Vincent’s University Hospital
would also involve the transfer of the assets and the end of any role for the Charity as a voluntary
hospital, the Board demurred.
Subsequently the lack of any timetable for the proposed transfer of the service, the uncertainty
about the future role of the Charity in public health care, budget constraints and personnel
issues gave rise to many difficulties for the Board. However one bright aspect of the situation
was the enthusiasm, competence and dedication of the hospital staff and the excellent care which
they provided to patients.
In early 2004 representatives of the Hospital Board met the Minister of Health and Children
and informed him that the Board would not object to the transfer of the service to St. Vincent’s
University Hospital if that was the Government’s strategy. The Minister was also informed that
the Board of the Hospital would welcome discussions on a new role within public health care
following the transfer of the service.
When it was realised that the adverse fire report received in 2005 would force the closure of the
Hospital, the Board appointed a committee to consider its future in public health care and to
maximise the value of the property. Professor Eoin O’Brien had advocated a future for the Hospital
in research at the AGM in 2001 and he was invited to talk to the committee about the latest
possibilities; his enthusiasm for dermatology research made a deep impression on the committee.
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