Ireland's first large-scale consultant partnership ambulatory surgery centre has opened in Ballsbridge, Dublin, backed by a €2.25 million loan facility from AIB to fund construction costs and equipment procurement.

According to a report by the Irish Times, Surgical Institute Dublin brings together more than 40 specialist consultants across dermatology, Mohs surgery, plastic surgery, oculoplastics, pathology, and medical oncology. The purpose-built facility includes four minor procedure theatres, a dedicated Mohs laboratory, a recovery area, a nurse admission suite, and consulting rooms designed for see-and-treat and surgical dressing clinics.

Mohs micrographic surgery, regarded as the gold-standard treatment for skin cancer, is a cornerstone of the centre's offering and represents the only private Mohs capacity currently available in Dublin. See-and-treat clinics are open for direct GP referral and consultant-to-consultant referral, enabling patients with suspicious skin lesions to be assessed and treated during the same visit where clinically appropriate.

Surgical Institute Dublin was co-founded by dermatologists Prof Caitríona Ryan and Prof Nicola Ralph, who also run the Institute of Dermatologists at Herbert Park, Ballsbridge, together with Conor Murphy, formerly of Goldman Sachs. The centre has secured agreements with all four of Ireland's private health insurers, Vhi Healthcare, Laya Healthcare, Irish Life Health, and Level Health.

The centre currently employs 25 staff, with that figure anticipated to double to 50 within two years. Beyond dermatological surgery, the facility is expanding into pain management, sports medicine, venous surgery, and gynaecology.

Cathy Bryce, managing director capital markets at AIB, said the loan facility demonstrates "how bank finance can help turn specialist clinical expertise into new healthcare capacity," adding that AIB Business Banking supported the development through both construction funding and equipment finance.

The centre's model is designed to shorten the time from referral to treatment, expand access to ambulatory surgical care, and free up hospital capacity for care that requires an inpatient setting, addressing growing demand driven by Ireland's ageing and expanding population.