asked the Minister for Health if the hospital in-patient inquiry scheme is still in progress; the reports that have been submitted to him and if any decisions have been made on any of those reports; and if the inquiries cover the cost of transport of patients to various hospital centres.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Hospital In-Patient Inquiry.
41.
The Hospital In-Patient Inquiry is still in progress. Fifty two hospitals are now taking part in it and the Medico-Social Research Board, which controls the inquiry, hopes to extend it to all acute hospitals.
The reports which have been produced are all in the form of statistical tables which give summaries of information obtained through the inquiry. In these tables the hospital patients are grouped into a number of categories which display certain characteristics of the patients, for example:
1. Diagnosis, sex, age and duration of stay in hospital;
2. Source of admission and average time waiting for admission;
3. Where patients are discharged to;
4. Marital status;
5. Area of residence.
While these tables do not, of themselves, require decisions, the information in them is used by individuals and bodies such as the hospital consultants, the hospital authorities, the health boards and my Department to help in making decisions on the management and planning of the hospital services, and for research purposes.
Has the Parliamentary Secretary any information on the cost of transporting patients from one place to another? Has any report on this matter been made to the Department?
I am sorry I have not got that information.
Will the Parliamentary Secretary not agree that before making any plans regarding hospitals and their costings, it is essential to know the cost of transporting patients from one part of the country to another? Will he not accept that it is essential to have this information before deciding the siting of hospitals?
I can assure the Deputy my Department have those figures but I was not specifically asked to produce them here today.
The question referred to the cost of transport of patients.
The Deputy must know that the cost of transporting patients from one hospital to another, even within the same health board area, is a matter that would take a considerable amount of time to calculate. We have figures but they could not be exact.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary not agree that before making a decision that Roscommon patients would go to Galway this information should be available, and if the Minister has any information in this regard would he make it available to me and to the other Deputies?
The Deputy is localising the matter.
Naturally, I am concerned with this problem.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.