asked the Minister for Health when it is proposed to provide a new dispensary consulting room and medical centre at the new housing complex at Ballymun, Dublin.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ballymun (Dublin) Dispensary.
4.
Tenders have been received by the Dublin Health Authority for the provision of a new permanent health centre in lieu of the existing temporary health centre at Ballymun. These are at present being examined in my Department. Some further information is required before a decision can be given on the question of acceptance of tenders and my Department is in communication with the health authority on the matter.
Could the Minister give any indication as to when the centre is likely to be available? Will it be six months, a year, or 18 months or two years?
I could not say at the moment because the establishment of the health centre must be considered in connection with the total capital services improvements in the health services for the coming financial year but I regard it as a matter of priority. I can assure the House of that.
Will this health centre be staffed by dispensary doctors?
The Deputy will have to ask me a question about the full implications of this. Yes, it will provide accommodation for five district medical officers or general practitioners and will also double for child welfare, ante-natal immunisations, ENT and ophthalmic clinics. There will be three nurses rooms, a dental department, a welfare department comprising five rooms; a psychiatric department comprising five rooms; a psychiatric department comprising three consulting rooms and a reception-waiting area, a general reception desk on each floor, stores, public and staff toilets and pram stores.
Did the Minister say "or five general practitioners"?
Yes.
Did the Minister say that he has the working drawings?
No. We are actually examining the tenders. There have been some variations in the character of the building in relation to these tenders.
This scheme has been finished for the past four years and surely when it was built the dispensary was planned with it? Would the Minister not consider that this is a very late stage to be looking for plans of it? Surely it should have been done when the houses were being built?
There has been a temporary health centre there for some considerable time and it has been twice extended.
Could not the permanent one have been provided when the number of houses that were going to be built there was known and there was one complete plan? Surely the dispensary should have been planned at that stage and not three or four years later?
It is better late than never.
That is about the size of it.