Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 24 Apr 2002

Vol. 552 No. 4

Adjournment Debate. - Hospitals Building Programme.

Mr. T. Hayes

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this important matter in regard to the constituency of Tipperary South. The issue relates to the health service, particularly St. Joseph's Hospital in Clonmel. The split services in this area have been going on for a number of years. In 1996, the then Minister for Health, Deputy Michael Noonan, tackled this long-ignored problem. Following much argument, people came to the conclusion that a one-sector hospital should be built in Clonmel to cater for the needs of the people of south Tipperary. I welcome the recent commitments that have been given for Cashel in recent weeks. I have been asked to raise this issue by the staff and people closely associated with St. Joseph's.

When will financial approval be given for the construction of the 23 bed top-floor ward at the hospital? It is an essential part of the development and there is grave concern regarding it. A fundraising scheme for a catscan was launched 12 months ago with the goal of raising £500,000. That goal was exceeded and £650,000 was collected, yet the facility has not been put in place although commitments have been given. When will a permanent building be put in place for a catscan facility? When will approval be given for the roofworks on the residential unit of the hospital? That is a hugely important issue and people fear that there is insufficient funding to complete the project. Escalating building costs in the past number of years put more pressure on the funding that was available. I want a guarantee that everything will be done to complete the project as it was originally envisaged rather than leaving it unfinished with incomplete facilities. The people of south Tipperary deserve and demand better. They have had poor health services for years and are angry at the time it has taken to put it in place. I look forward to a positive reply from the Minister.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Ms Hanafin)

I am pleased with the opportunity afforded to me by Deputy Hayes to set out the position in relation to the development of hospital services in south Tipperary.

As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of hospital services for south Tipperary is a matter for the South-Eastern Health Board in the first instance. The south Tipperary hospital agreement which was signed in January 1996 paved the way for development of hospital services in the region and for bringing together surgery and medicine on a single site. A major capital development programme is under way to provide for the transfer of surgical services from Our Lady's Hospital, Cashel, to St. Joseph's Hospital, Clonmel, and the progression of other developments in line with the agreement. The transfer of surgery from Cashel to Clonmel is under way with the construction of phase 1 of the development at St. Joseph's Hospital which is costing in the region of €20 million. Building work is in progress and is due to be completed by the end of 2002 or early 2003. This landmark development will involve the provision of a new accident and emergency department, more ward accommodation, operating theatres, an intensive care unit, a day care unit, a central sterile supplies department, physical medicine department, an education centre and consulting rooms.

After the transfer of the surgical services, Our Lady's Hospital will be used to provide services for the elderly and also services for those with mental and physical disabilities. In this context the Minister for Health and Children gave approval to the South-Eastern Health Board on 17 April 2002 to proceed with the building of the first phase of the capital developments at the hospital. The building cost of the first phase is in the region of €7 million and will provide on the site a 20 bed unit for mentally infirm elderly people, a 12 place supervised hostel for mental health services, 12 independent living units and respite care places for persons with physical disability, a day hospital and day centre for mental health services and a day centre for persons with physical disabilities. This approval will ensure that construction can now commence on this latest phase of developments for the south Tipperary Hospitals. This project together with the major construction project at St. Joseph's Hospital, Clonmel, represents a capital investment of some €30 million for the development of hospitals in south Tipperary. The investment is an indication of the Government's commitment to the provision of optimum health care facilities to the people of the region. Further developments at Our Lady's Hospital will commence when surgical services have been transferred to St. Joseph's, Clonmel.

Many hospitals have experienced heavy demand for general medical beds in recent years. In an effort to deal with the extra demand for beds the Department of Health and Children provided additional capital funding of €1.891 million and revenue funding of €5.75 million to the South-Eastern Health Board in 2002. This included revenue funding for an additional 15 temporary acute medical beds located in St. Anthony's unit close to the hospital in order to alleviate the pressure on beds in St. Joseph's during phase 1 construction. The South-Eastern Health Board has made submissions to the Department for the additional works mentioned by the Deputy to be included as part of the current developments. The Department of Health and Children recently gave approval to the South-Eastern Health Board to allow the builder in Clonmel to carry out enabling works which will allow the future provision of an additional 23 acute medical beds at the end of phase 1 of the development. The Department is at present in discussion with the South-Eastern Health Board in relation to the additional beds, the permanent cat scan facility and the other works.

The €30 million investment in the hospitals is clear evidence of our commitment to the region. The overall objective of these major capital developments in Clonmel and Cashel is to ensure that the services available to the people of south Tipperary respond to their needs and we will continue to work towards their development. I am sure the Deputy will agree that substantial progress has already been made.