In its largest investment in ten years, Whitfield is expanding its footprint at the Butlerstown site in Waterford to create a fifth operating theatre.
This €1.8m investment will create 12 new jobs and is currently employing 20 in the construction of this new facility.
The investment is necessitated due to the consistent increase in demand for elective surgery at Whitfield. Clinical Director Mr. Asam Ishtiaq explained, “In order to keep our reputation for minimal waiting times for elective surgery and more surgeons joining the faculty, we took the decision to expand the operating facilities available at Whitfield. In 2011 we performed 11,765 surgical procedures, compared to 14,440 in 2015 and with this persistent upward trend in surgical activity, we made this decision last year to facilitate the increasing demand by building a fifth state of the art laminar flow operating theatre. We are extremely proud of the reputation for excellent clinical care Whitfield has earned over the past ten years. It is our responsibility to provide the best equipped, state of the art clinical and operating facilities to our surgeons and patients”.
Whitfield CEO David Beirne outlined the importance of this investment, “This puts the region on a par with anywhere in the country. In fact, Whitfield is at the cutting edge of modern healthcare in the South East and Ireland. In many areas such as orthopaedic surgery, ophthalmic surgery, general surgery, urological surgery and ENT we lead the way. The consultants and staff at Whitfield have driven the reputation of the facility and created the demand which led to this expansion. We are delighted to be in this position to invest in the future of Whitfield and add more team members to the amazing team Whitfield. I am sure the new team for Theatre Five will add to the vibrant, committed and enthusiastic community we have at the hospital and are pleased to welcome them.”
Theatre Five is scheduled to open in June of this year and will give the clinical staff the opportunity to facilitate the rising demand for procedures such as joint replacements, cataract surgery, general surgery, gynaecological & urological surgery, ENT and vascular surgery.
If you would like to learn more about Whitfield’s services and facilities, you can visit Whitfield Clinic on www.whitfieldclinic.ie