asked the Minister for Health if he will provide additional facilities and staff at St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital, Gurranebraher, Cork, to cope with the increasing demand for hip-replacement operations in the Southern Health Board area.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Cork Hospital.
4.
The provision of additional facilities and staff at St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital, Gurranebraher, Cork, is a matter for the Southern Health Board in the first instance. An additional house officer was appointed to this hospital early in 1976, bringing the total medical staff to three orthopaedic surgeons, three registrars and three house officers. There are no proposals before my Department for additional facilities at this hospital.
The board recently submitted proposals under the special job creation programme for additional staff for the board's various services and these include requests for some additional nurses, attendants and a physiotherapist for St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital. These proposals are being examined in my Department at present.
I understand that the Southern Health Board recently discussed the question of waiting lists for hip-replacement operations at this hospital and that a report in the matter is being prepared by the board's staff. I should mention that a number of improvements have been carried out in St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital in recent years. A new plaster theatre was provided in 1973 and a five-bed recovery room in 1974.