Ireland's New National Children's Hospital Faces 18th Missed Deadline as Opening Pushed to 2027
The opening of Ireland's new National Children's Hospital could be delayed until the autumn of 2027, with builders BAM informing the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board that the facility will not be substantially completed by the end of April as planned — marking the project's 18th missed completion deadline.
The latest setback has drawn fierce criticism from politicians and patient advocates, with Sinn Féin's health spokesperson describing the project as a "disaster from start to finish" and calling for serious lessons to be learned about how major public infrastructure contracts are managed in Ireland.
Background
The National Children's Hospital, located on the St James's Hospital campus in Dublin, was first announced in 2012 and construction began in 2019. The project has been beset by delays and cost overruns from the outset, with the original budget of approximately €650 million ballooning to over €1.6 billion as of February 2026. The hospital is intended to replace the three existing children's hospitals in Dublin — Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin, Temple Street Children's University Hospital, and the National Children's Hospital at Tallaght.
Key Developments
BAM, the construction company responsible for the project, informed the NPHDB that it would not meet the end-of-April completion target. The board has responded by withholding 15% of payments from BAM due to non-compliance with programme schedules. BAM has contested the characterisation of the delays, arguing that the programme has evolved due to instructed design changes.
Pádraig Rice, chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Health, stated there were "serious lessons to be learned for the State" regarding the project's contract. Sinn Féin's David Cullinane called it a "disaster from start to finish," citing the numerous missed deadlines and significant cost overruns. Children in Hospital Ireland stressed the urgent need for a realistic opening date, highlighting the pressure on existing services.
Why It Matters
The continued delays have real consequences for sick children and their families, who are being treated in ageing facilities that were designed for a much smaller population. The project has also become a symbol of the challenges facing large-scale public infrastructure delivery in Ireland, prompting calls for fundamental reform of how such contracts are structured and managed.
What's Next
The NPHDB is expected to publish a revised timeline for the project in the coming weeks. The Oireachtas Committee on Health is likely to hold further hearings on the delays, and there may be legal proceedings between the board and BAM over the disputed completion schedule. The government faces mounting pressure to provide a credible and final opening date.
Read more at RTÉ News.
