A new neonatal intensive care unit, which will treat some of the sickest infants in the country, has been officially opened at the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) in Holles Street, Dublin.

The NMH is a national tertiary referral hospital, which means that it receives and treats babies from all over the country. This new unit, which cost €6 million of taxpayers' money to build, ‘will allow the most serious cases to be treated in a single location', the Department of Health said.

New facilities in the unit include dedicated isolation rooms, double clinical space around each incubator and vital equipment.

Speaking at the official opening, Health Minister, Leo Varadkar, pointed out that neonatology is ‘one of medicine's greatest success stories from the past 30 years'.

"Back in the early 1980s, 90% of infants born prematurely at 28 weeks died. Today, 90% of those babies will survive. Since it was established, the NMH has played a leading clinical role for women and babies in Ireland. Its reputation is built on high-quality care, and a strong focus on research and education. Long may that continue," he commented.

Also speaking at the launch, the Master of the hospital, Dr Rhona Mahony said that staff were ‘delighted to exchange the old cramped facilities for this new modern intensive care unit'.

"It represents a significant step forward in the quality of care and services we can offer to families attending the hospital," she added.

Almost 10,000 babies are born in Holles Street every year.