Proposed plans for a renal dialysis facility to be built in Clare Technology Park in Ennis have been given the go-ahead by Clare County Council this week.
The plans, submitted to Clare County Council on April 30, were put forward by Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA is a German multinational health care company which provides products and services for dialysis in hospitals, as well as inpatient and outpatient medical care.
According to the planning statement, the proposed development for a Renal Dialysis Facility is in response to a request from the HSE via a tendering process for a ‘satellite’ facility for the Ennis area to improve existing patient experience, where patients are currently required to travel to Limerick or Galway city.
It will also accommodate ever-increasing demand for the service brought on primarily due to an ageing population.
The facility will accommodate up to 20 patients from the Ennis catchment area at any one time for thrice weekly sessions.
Amongst planning documents included an enclosed letter of support from the Department of Renal Medicine University Hospital Limerick underlining the need for the facility.
Dr Liam Casserly, Lead Clinical Nephrologist at UHL said: “I am writing on behalf of the patients to request that this matter is of great importance to the local community in Clare as well as all of the patients with end stage kidney disease who travel three times weekly to dialysis. The availability of a dialysis unit in Ennis would reduce the transport time immensely for many of the patients who travel from West Clare to Limerick thrice weekly.
“Availing of a dialysis procedure for 4 hours often necessitates a whole day due to the journey to and from dialysis.
“I am writing to request that many of the patients who I meet on a regular basis have been waiting anxiously for the opening of a dialysis unit in Ennis. Unfortunately for many, they may not see the opening of the unit and avail of the shorter time they have to spend travelling to and from dialysis.
“However the hope is that the future will bring light to many of the patients in County Clare and even North County Limerick which would reduce the burden of their disease significantly.”
The proposed development will be located at Clare Technology Park on a site measuring c. 0.44 hectares and will involve the construction of a single storey building measuring c. 904 sqm gross floor space.
It will also involve construction of a vehicular and pedestrian access point from existing Clare Technology Park road network, associated vehicle parking, hard and soft landscaping and boundary treatments, provision of signage and a bin store as well as external mechanical and electrical plant and equipment.
