asked the Minister for Health if he will state the number of additional beds provided during the last 12 months in the Dublin voluntary hospitals, apart from beds for patients suffering from tuberculosis.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Hospital Accommodation.
I understand from the Hospitals Commission that the number of additional beds provided in the Dublin voluntary hospitals during the past 12 months was 36.
During that period, however, I signified my approval of the following building schemes which will provide in Dublin the numbers of new beds indicated:—
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New St. Vincent's Hospital(to be built at Elm Park) |
450 beds. |
|
New St. Laurence's Hospital(to be built at Cabra) |
The number of beds is not finally settled but it will be at least as big as in the new St. Vincent's. |
|
New Coombe Hospital(to be built at Donore Avenue) |
250 beds. |
|
New Dublin Fever Hospital(to be built at Blackditch) |
292 beds. |
|
Crumlin Children's Hospital, Crumlin. |
250 beds. |
|
TOTAL |
1,242 beds. |
Improvements at the following hospitals which will provide 195 beds:— Loughlinstown, Monkstown, Meath Hospital, St. Michael's, Dún Laoghaire; National Maternity Hospital, Temple Street Hospital.
Arising out of the Minister's reply, can the Minister say whether any one of these projects is in any way advanced? The St. Laurence's Hospital, for instance, has been on the stocks for a great many years. Further, is the Minister aware that there is an acute shortage in the city at the moment of beds in the hospitals and that it is practically impossible to get a patient either into a hospital or into a nursing home?
I appreciate the Deputy's concern in regard to this problem. It is a concern which I share completely with him. In the past 12 months I have done something to overcome the very considerable arrears of work which were left to me by the previous Administration. As the Deputy pointed out, the majority of these undertakings have been on the stocks for a great many years; St. Vincent's since 1935, St. Laurence's since 1935 and the Coombe for ten or 15 years. Now all these projects have advanced to some extent and work in connection with at least two of them should commence this year. Work in connection with the rest of them will certainly commence next year or the year after. The Deputy can rest assured that as fast as I can provide beds they will be provided. The smaller projects are going ahead and extra beds will be provided in them within a year or a year and a half.
Could the Minister say if there is any hope of providing additional accommodation at the existing hospitals? To my mind, there is no reason why St. Laurence's, at least, should not have been started last year.
The position is that we are anxious, if at all possible, to avoid spending money on the existing voluntary hospitals unless there is a very definite indication that that must be done, in view of the fact that we anticipate that these new undertakings will provide better accommodation for any money spent. If we attempted to expand the old hospitals, which do not lend themselves easily to expansion, we would hardly achieve our purpose. Our needs will be better served by providing new hospitals with the least possible delay.
Can the Minister state how many beds he has provided for tuberculosis patients in the last 12 months? Further, can he state how many beds were provided for this type of patient between the years 1932 and 1948?
The Deputy is asking for a lot of information which is not required on the question before me.
In reply to the Deputy, approximately 870 beds were provided between February, 1948, and February, 1949; between 1932 and 1948 approximately 600 beds were provided.
asked the Minister for Health whether he is aware that the provision of the additional accommodation for patients at the Central Hospital, Galway, is being held up due to inability to obtain sufficient supplies of asbestos sheeting, and, if so, in view of the urgent necessity of completing this work, whether he will take steps to have the necessary material made available.
I am aware that the construction of the temporary unit to relieve overcrowding in Galway Central Hospital is being held up due to the difficulty of getting immediate delivery of the full supply of asbestos cement sheeting needed. I have done everything I possibly could do to assist the local authority in their efforts to get supplies quickly, including the making of representations to the manufacturers, who, however, were unwilling to alter their quota system to make special supplies available in this case. I understand that the local authority are now in touch with a source from which it may be possible to get the balance of their requirements. If they succeed the work should be completed very quickly.