asked the Minister for Health if he will state the investigations, inquiries or research studies currently being carried out concerning hospital administration, bed occupancy, suitability as to site and facilities for treatment of patients suffering from various diseases; and the bodies carrying out these activities, the aspects of the investigations they cover and when their reports will be completed and published.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Hospital Administration Investigation.
37.
My Department prepare annually data relating to bed numbers, occupancy, duration of stay and costs in the case of health board regional, county, district, orthopaedic and infectious diseases hospitals. These are circulated to health boards and the statistics for 1971 will be included in the data circulated to Deputies shortly in connection with the annual Estimates.
The Hospitals Commission published similar information about the voluntary hospitals and this work will be continued by my Department. These particulars were circulated by the commission to my Department to voluntary hospitals and to other interested parties. Statistics for 1966 for both voluntary and local authority hospitals were circulated in the Report of the Consultative Council on the General Hospital Services—copies of which are in the Dáil Library as PRL 154. The Medico-Social Research Board are carrying out a detailed in-patient survey in general hospitals both health board and voluntary. They are also engaged in studies relating to the psychiatric services, in-patient and out-patient. Other studies cover ischaemic heart disease—in association with the World Health Organisation—and the incidence of various forms of stroke in the community. Details of progress in all the board's studies are published in their annual reports—copies of which are circulated to members of the Oireachtas and the Dáil Library, health boards, medical schools, university libraries, voluntary hospitals and various interested parties.
It is, of course, part of the ongoing functions of all of the health administrative bodies to take full account of available data in dealing with specific problems involving the elements listed by the Deputy.
Is the Minister aware of the appalling lack of statistics in this country on the incidence of various illnesses and conditions?
Yes.
In view of that, would he consider having closer liaison between the Department of Health and the Department of Social Welfare to obtain this necessary data which would be of considerable interest? In so far as notification of these illnesses is available to the Department of Social Welfare this information should be made available to the Department of Health as well.
It is certainly a matter for consideration. In reply to the first part of the Deputy's question, the Medico-Social Research Board are carrying out an intensive survey into the matters which the Deputy has raised. The only other thing I should like to say is that a lot of the information seems to be somewhat out-of-date.
Is the Minister aware that they are carrying out random surveys only and that the in-patient survey is being done at present in 75 per cent of the hospitals? To whom else is this information available? It should be available to the public.
It is available to all the various health boards and hospitals as far as I am aware. That is the information which is collected by the health boards not the Medico-Social Research Board.
Is the Minister aware that the Medico-Social Research Board are conducting an in-patient survey into the reason why people are admitted to hospital and into the number of operations and so on? This could be of considerable assistance to the Department of Health but this information is not being made available to the public.
Could we pass on to the next question?
I should remind the Deputy that so far as the Medico-Social Research Board are concerned, details about psychiatric surveys of in-patients and out-patients and so on, are available. I am told that they are circulated to Members of the Oireachtas, that they are available in the Dáil Library, and that they are available to health boards, medical schools, university libraries, voluntary hospitals and various interested parties. I could not define who the various interested parties would be although I assume they would possibly be that the medical unions and people like that.