Belfast Maternity Hospital's Pseudomonas Crisis

0:00On April 17th, a new maternity hospital in Belfast got handed over to the Belfast Trust back in 2024 for 100 million pounds, but right away they found high levels of pseudomonas bacteria in the water pipes. That bug can be deadly for folks with weak immune systems, so the place has sat empty ever since. Teams have been flushing the system hard to clear it out, and that work alone has already cost close to 350,000 pounds. It's been two full years of this back and forth, with no opening date and sight. At the Stormont Health Committee this week, MLA's grilled trust chief Jennifer Welsh, calling her talk of an independent probe unconvincing. DUP's Diane Dodds didn't hold back, saying she was angry about the delays, the cash burn, and what felt like dodging real answers. Welsh pushed back, stressing she takes her role seriously, and will share details once the investigation wraps. On the fix, she couldn't promise total success, but said she's confident the flushing option, too, will do the trick without ripping out every pipe.

1:02For now, they're banking on that plan working, keeping patients safe while the probe digs into how this slipped through at hand over. Stay tuned as this unfolds. Europe news today, powered by AI bringing you what matters across Europe.