asked the Minister for Health in respect of acute medical-surgical hospitals, the number of beds he considers most suitable and calculated to give the best result in terms of expenditure.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Hospital Beds.
8.
It is difficult to answer this question with confidence because other considerations also enter into the determination of hospital size including the population which can be conveniently served and the provision of other specialties such as obstetrics. A further factor having a bearing on this is the level of expertise in hospital management. Figures around 500 to 600 beds have been mentioned and, in our circumstances, perhaps the lower of these could be regarded as the answer to the question. The Deputy will be aware that the consultative council on the general hospital services considered that over a wide area of the country, where the population is relatively sparse, the minimum viable size for a general hospital including obstetrics would be 300 beds serving a population of at least 120,000 and staffed by approximately 12 consultants and the appropriate number of anaesthetists.