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The Mater Infirmorum Hospital, commonly known as The Mater, is an acute hospital in
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
, Northern Ireland. It provides services to most of North
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
and South Antrim, reaching as far as
Glengormley Glengormley () is the name of a townland (of 215 acres) and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Glengormley is within the urban area of Newtownabbey and the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area. It is also situated in the ...
,
Carrickfergus Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...
and Newtownabbey It is managed by the
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT) is a health organisation covering Belfast, Northern Ireland. The trust is one of five new trusts which were created on 1 April 2007 by the then Department of Health, Social Services and Public Sa ...
.


History

The Mater Infirmorum (''Mother of the Sick'') Hospital has been serving the people of Belfast since it admitted its first patients in premises on the Crumlin Road in Belfast, known as Bedeque House, on 1 November 1883. It was initially founded by the Sisters of Mercy but has always treated patients without regard to class or creed. Between 1841 and 1891, the population of
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
dramatically increased from 75,308 to 255,922. In 1895, Dr Patrick MacAlister, the
Bishop of Down and Connor The Bishop of Down and Connor is an episcopal title which takes its name from the town of Downpatrick (located in County Down) and the village of Connor (located in County Antrim) in Northern Ireland. The title is still used by the Catholic Chur ...
, arranged for expansion of the Mater Infirmorum Hospital with construction of a new building on Mountview Terrace. The main hospital, which was designed by William Fennell, was officially opened by Sir Robert McConnell,
Lord Mayor of Belfast The Lord Mayor of Belfast is the leader and chairperson of Belfast City Council, elected annually from and by the City's 60 councillors. The Lord Mayor also serves as the representative of the city of Belfast, welcoming guests from across the U ...
, on 22 April 1900. The hospital was officially recognised as a university teaching hospital for university students of Queen's University in 1908. In June 1922, the hospital was subjected to an armed attack: the hospital management wrote to King George V,
David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during ...
, Winston Churchill and Michael Collins seeking protection and the incident did not happen again. A landmine exploded outside the hospital leading to numerous casualties in April 1941 during the
Belfast Blitz The Belfast Blitz consisted of four German air raids on strategic targets in the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, in April and May 1941 during World War II, causing high casualties. The first was on the night of 78 April 1941, a small attac ...
of the Second World War. A new maternity wing opened in 1945. Much of the fund raising for modernisation of the hospital in the 1950s was carried out by the Young Philanthropists Association. This included the first neuro-psychiatry department which opened in 1952. It was the first hospital in Northern Ireland to treat injured soldiers from the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...
in October 1969 and became fully integrated into the National Health Service in 1972. A new block, incorporating a new accident and emergency unit, a new out-patients department, a new radiology department, an operating theatre suite and a 35-bed maternity unit, opened at the hospital in 1989. During the COVID-19 pandemic the Mater became
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
's dedicated hospital for COVID-19 patients.


References


External links

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Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority inspection reports
{{authority control Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Teaching hospitals in Northern Ireland Hospital buildings completed in 1900 Hospitals in Belfast Hospitals established in 1883 1883 establishments in Ireland Health and Social Care (Northern Ireland) hospitals