Speaking in the Assembly chamber, the East Antrim MLA questioned the Health Minister on the 10 year delay to the project, the spiralling costs, and the ongoing uncertainty for mothers across Northern Ireland.
Mr Donnelly said: “Today, the Health Minister stated that the Belfast Maternity Unit will not be open for at least another 28 months due to further work, and will cost several million pounds, just to bring the already-built hospital up to safe and usable standards.
“This hospital has taken over a decade and tens of millions of pounds to build and yet it still cannot safely open its doors. Women in Northern Ireland will now have to wait more than two years to give birth in a hospital that should have been completed over 10 years ago. That is utterly unacceptable.
“The new maternity unit was originally proposed in 1999, and with these extended delays, babies who were born then are now likely to have children of their own.
“This unit was intended to provide modern, state-of-the-art care to expectant mothers across Northern Ireland. Yet today’s revelation confirms that even with the building complete, significant delays and additional spending are now required to address safety and infrastructure issues.
“It creates real and serious concerns about project management and accountability within the Health Department. This isn’t the first time a major capital project under the department has spiralled into delays and extra costs.
“The Minister must now make a decision and decide what is the best path forward so we can see the Maternity Unit open and in use as soon as possible. We cannot accept continued delays. The public has lost confidence and rightly so.”
Mr Donnelly said: “Today, the Health Minister stated that the Belfast Maternity Unit will not be open for at least another 28 months due to further work, and will cost several million pounds, just to bring the already-built hospital up to safe and usable standards.
“This hospital has taken over a decade and tens of millions of pounds to build and yet it still cannot safely open its doors. Women in Northern Ireland will now have to wait more than two years to give birth in a hospital that should have been completed over 10 years ago. That is utterly unacceptable.
“The new maternity unit was originally proposed in 1999, and with these extended delays, babies who were born then are now likely to have children of their own.
“This unit was intended to provide modern, state-of-the-art care to expectant mothers across Northern Ireland. Yet today’s revelation confirms that even with the building complete, significant delays and additional spending are now required to address safety and infrastructure issues.
“It creates real and serious concerns about project management and accountability within the Health Department. This isn’t the first time a major capital project under the department has spiralled into delays and extra costs.
“The Minister must now make a decision and decide what is the best path forward so we can see the Maternity Unit open and in use as soon as possible. We cannot accept continued delays. The public has lost confidence and rightly so.”