asked the Minister for Health if he will state the reason for the delay in restoring St. Colman's Hospital, Macroom, for general purposes; and if he will indicate the date by which it is expected to make the additional beds available.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Macroom Hospital.
3.
St. Colman's Hospital, Macroom, was formerly a fever hospital. In June, 1949, it was transferred to the Cork Sanatoria Board for use as a tuberculosis hospital. The hospital was never used "for general purposes".
When I discussed with the Deputies from Cork on the 15th January last the present proposal to accommodate elderly persons in St. Colman's, I informed them that it had been the experience of my Department that hospitals of such a small size as St. Colman's tended to be uneconomic. I pointed out that there is at present a large number of very small hospitals throughout County Cork and I stated that I did not view with any great enthusiasm the suggestions that some of them should be perpetuated as County Homes. I promised, however, to examine the matter further and, as arranged with the deputation, requested the County Manager to furnish information regarding the annual cost of running the proposed unit. This information has since been received.
Prior to the truce, Dáil Éireann decided that a multiplicity of workhouses was wholly unsuited to the circumstances of this country, that many of these workhouses should be abolished and that a central institution should be established in each county for the care of elderly persons. Effect was given to this policy by the Local Government (Temporary Provisions) Act, 1923, under which County Schemes were established. The County Schemes provided for the closing of a number of workhouses and the establishment of a single County Home in most counties.
While I feel it would be a retrograde step to reverse this policy in the case of St. Colman's hospital, I am still considering the matter and I hope to convey my final decision to the local authority shortly.
Old people? Senile delinquents, perhaps?
Is the Deputy a candidate?
The Minister has been so designated.