asked the Minister for Health the average cost over each of the past five years of (a) a bed in a public ward and (b) a private room in a hospital; and what factors have contributed to the increased cost in hospital accommodation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Hospital Accommodation Costs.
11.
As the reply to the first part of the Deputy's question is in the form of a tabular statement, I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to circulate it with the Official Report.
The Deputy will appreciate that the cost of maintence and treatment varies considerably as between different categories of hospital, and that it would not be practicable to calculate satisfactorily the separate average cost figures for beds in public wards and private rooms.
I explained, in some detail, the reasons for increasing hospital costs in the Adjournment debate on 4th May last. In brief, these are: increases in rates of remuneration; increases in numbers of staff employed either as a result of reduction in staff working hours or improved facilities for patients; greater volume of services due to continuing growth in the numbers seeking medical care in hospitals, and increasing commodity costs.
Following is the statement:
The figures shown are the average weekly costs per bed in representative groups of hospitals in the categories indicated.
|
Teaching hospitals |
Non-teaching voluntary general hospitals |
Non-teaching health board general hospitals |
|
|
£ |
£ |
£ |
|
|
1968-69 |
44 |
28 |
23 |
|
1969-70 |
52 |
36 |
27 |
|
1970-71 |
67 |
47 |
38 |
|
1971-72 |
84 |
53 |
47 |
|
1972-73 |
95 |
60 |
56 |
Costs in respect of 1971-72 are subject to audit.
Costs in respect of 1972-73 are estimated.