asked the Minister for Health if he is aware that during the past three years there has been a surplus of from 150 to 250 beds vacant at St. Stephen's Hospital, Sarsfield's Court, Cork; that last week out of a total of 480 beds 221 were occupied and 259 were vacant; that the estimate of the manager four years ago was that each vacant bed was costing seven guineas per week in overheads of which 50 per cent was borne by the ratepayers of Cork; that this represents roughly £600 a week on the rates; and that repeated requests have been made to his Department over the past three years by the Cork Health Authority for permission to move patients out of crowded hospitals and institutions in the city to St. Stephen's without avail; and what steps he intends taking in the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cork Hospital Bed Vacancies.
While I accept that there have been vacant beds during the last three years in this institution, built by my Department under the powers conferred by the Tuberculosis (Establishment of Sanatoria) Act, 1945, and presented, without charge, to the local authority, the figures quoted by the Deputy in the opening parts of his question distort the situation. Thus, the bed complement of the institution is 469, and not 480 as stated by the Deputy, although its capacity was increased temporarily some years ago during a period of pressure by placing beds in a recreation centre. Further, it appears to be the intention of the Deputy to have it implied that there were 250 vacant beds in the institution for substantial periods in the last three years. This was not so. It is only in recent weeks that the patient population fell to 221.
I understand that a figure of seven guineas a week as the cost of a vacant bed in the institution was supplied to the Deputy by the Acting Manager in reply to a question put by the Deputy at a meeting. There was no scientific basis for this figure and I am satisfied that it was not then a correct estimate and is not now. Consequently, I cannot accept the Deputy's contention that vacant beds are costing Cork ratepayers £600 a week.
It is not correct to state that "repeated requests have been made to his Department over the past three years by the Cork Health Authority for permission to move patients out of crowded hospitals and institutions in the city to St. Stephen's". At the end of June, 1962, the health authority submitted to my Department recommendations from the manager which included one that surplus accommodation at St. Stephen's be used in the best way possible to relieve overcrowding in St. Finbarr's and in the Mental Hospital. Early in August, 1962, my Department asked for clarification of these recommendations and the only definite proposals received, in January, 1963, were to transfer 150 female chronic patients from the Mental Hospital to Sarsfield's Court. As these patients were accommodated in a separate unit in the Mental Hospital and as it was the intention to demolish the accommodation in which they were housed, I do not see how the transfer could afford relief to the overcrowded conditions in the remainder of the Mental Hospital.
A majority report of a Committee set up by the health authority to consider the overall situation of the use of health authority premises in the Cork area to the best advantage of the Cork people recommended the transfer to Sarsfield's Court of the Orthopaedic Hospital at Gurranebraher and the use of the latter premises as a modern psychiatric hospital. I have told the health authority on a number of occasions, in October, November and March last, that I favoured this proposal and have indicated that I am prepared to provide a grant for any necessary adaptations. I am awaiting the decision of the health authority on that suggestion.
The Deputy must surely realise that the co-operation of the health authority in this suggestion will secure the most effective use of the vacant accommodation in the Regional Sanatorium.
Could the Minister tell the House what figure could be substituted for the seven guineas mentioned in the question?
I could not say exactly what figure could be substituted but I do know that at the time the figure was given, the total cost of maintaining a patient was £8 11s. 1d. The hospital was given free of charge to the Cork Health Authority and there were no overhead charges in relation to the capital cost of the hospital.