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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 3 Nov 1943

Vol. 91 No. 11

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Waterford Hospital Scheme.

asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he will state the present position as regards the hospitalisation scheme in the County and City of Waterford; whether all the preliminary work is completed with a view to having the scheme put into operation immediately the emergency is ended; and if he will also state the amount of grant that will be made available for the carrying out of this scheme and the total cost thereof.

The hospital scheme for the Waterford public assistance district, which includes the City and County of Waterford, contemplates the provision of (1) a new county hospital at Waterford; (2) a new district hospital at Dungarvan; (3) new district and fever hospitals at Lismore; (4) extensions to the mental hospital.

The new county hospital at Waterford will be erected on the site of the existing hospital and it will, therefore, be necessary to demolish portion of the present premises to provide the site for the new hospital. This will entail transferring chronic patients to the County Home, Dungarvan, and space has to be provided there by the transfer of mental cases from the county home to the mental hospital. The proposed extensions to the mental hospital would, therefore, be the first work to be undertaken when conditions permit.

Satisfactory progress was made in the planning of the structural additions to the mental hospital, but it was ascertained on the basis of the most recent statistics of inmate population in the mental hospital and mental defectives in the county home that the scheme prepared could he modified and the cost as then estimated reduced from £70,000 to about £40,000. This was intimated to representatives of the mental hospital committee at a deputation received on 11th February, 1942.

I hope to see the revision of the original scheme for the mental hospital proceeded with in the near future.

As regards the county hospital, the estimated cost based on the scheme contemplated in 1939 was approximately £1,500 per bed, which was regarded as excessive. It has not, so far, been possible to obtain satisfactory proposals which would bring about a substantial reduction in the cost. I should like to see the planning for the new county hospital proceed and will be prepared to consider favourably any proposals to this end which are submitted by the county manager.

In view, however, of the temporary transfer of patients from Waterford contemplated by the scheme to which I have referred, it may be necessary to have the new Dungarvan District Hospital proceeded with in advance of the county hospital, and I am also prepared to consider proposals for proceeding with the planning in this case when the manager finds it possible to submit them. Information on the total costs and the amounts of the several grants involved will not be available until the proposals to which I have referred have fully matured.

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