asked the Minister for Health if he will sanction the appointment of an obstetrician-gynaecologist at Bantry County Hospital, County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the retention of the maternity unit there.
9.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Bantry (Cork) Hospital.
8.
asked the Minister for Health who authorised the closure of the maternity unit at Bantry County Hospital, County Cork; if he was informed that the unit had been closed; and if, in view of the serious hardship that the closure will inflict on the people of South-West Cork, he will take immediate steps to reopen the maternity unit at the earliest opportunity.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 9 together.
The Southern Health Board decided to suspend the services being provided at the maternity unit at Bantry General Hospital due to the absence on sick leave of the consultant in charge of the unit.
I am considering the future of the unit in conjunction with the health board.
Is the Minister aware of the unique problem in Bantry? Expectant mothers in the Bantry catchment area are a distance of 100 miles from a consultancy service. Having regard to the specific problems of the area, will the Minister immediately instruct Comhairle na nOspidéal to appoint an obstetrician-gynaecologist to Bantry Hospital?
I was particularly sorry to learn of the illness of the physician in Bantry. Locum cover is being provided at the hospital during Dr. McCoy's absence. While the locums are responsible for the medical beds in the hospital they do not accept responsibility for the maternity unit. The Deputy will be aware that there are seven beds in this unit. This is primarily the responsibility of the health board but I am currently reviewing the matter. The health board have been asked to make a formal submission in connection with applications for the filling of consultant posts. Pending that, I do not want to go any further on the matter.
Is the Minister aware that Bantry County Hospital caters for the people of three peninsulas, the Mizen Head peninsula, Kilcrohane peninsula and the Castletownbere peninsula? The Mizen Head peninsula is 90 miles from Cork city.
Not a speech, Deputy.
These are facts of which the Minister may not be aware.
They are well-known facts.
Parts of the Castletownbere peninsula are 120 miles from the nearest maternity hospital in Cork city and the Kilcrohane peninsula is 90 miles from Cork. Is the Minister aware that the key was turned in the door of the maternity unit in Bantry Hospital on the evening of Friday, 6 May, and on 9 May at 6.25 a.m. a woman arrived at the door of the hospital in an advanced stage of labour. At 6.40 a.m. ——
We do not want all the details.
——she gave birth to a baby in the hospital. The matron had to take the responsibility of admitting her on humanitarian grounds.
If the Deputy is going to make a speech, he will have to find another way of making it.
Will the Minister take up the matter with the Southern Health Board and get the maternity unit opened? The registrar who is operating in Bantry Hospital is quite capable of carrying on the work until Dr. McCoy returns. I would ask the Minister to take up the matter with the health board and get the maternity unit opened tomorrow morning if possible. The lives of pregnant women in south-west Cork are in danger.
I will not allow speeches. The Minister to reply.
On 6 May last, which is very recently, the health board wrote to the Department asking for my approval of the appointment of an obstetrician-gynaecologist at Bantry Hospital. I have received a report dated 29 April from the chief executive officer of the Southern Health Board and I am currently considering this report. It is stated in the report that in 1982 there were 191 births assigned to mothers normally resident in the catchment area of Bantry General Hospital — 93 in Bantry, 20 in Castletownbere, one in Clonakilty, 35 in Dunmanway-Drimoleague, 11 in Skibbereen, 11 in Schull, Goleen and Ballydehob and 16 in the Kenmare-Sneem area. The numbers involved will be a major factor in arriving at a decision. Dr. McCoy has been responsible for the maternity unit and has done outstanding work but since February he has been ill and we are currently considering the matter.
This is a problem which will recur time and again. Have the Minister and the Department a policy ——
This concerns Bantry.
It concerns Bantry and other areas.
It is a specific question.
Policy is also involved here.
You cannot raise a general question on a specific question.
This refers to a county physician who is also acting as county obstetrician. When these people retire their replacements do not have expertise in obstetrics and surely there must be a policy in the Department of Health to counteract this situation. Is there a policy in the Department as to who is to take responsibility for obstetrics in these areas upon the retirement of county physicians?
I have a discretion as to what questions will be allowed and in my discretion I am ruling that if questions of general policy right across the country were to be introduced into specific questions there would be no end to anything.
There are two questions on the Order Paper concerning this matter. One concerns Bantry and the other concerns Dundalk in County Louth. That is specific enough to raise the question.
It is too specific to raise a general question, in my opinion.
The Minister has referred to a report of 29 April from the Southern Health Board which states that 191 births took place in Bantry Hospital. I would refer him to the fact that 823 births occurred from that catchment area and the fact that no obstetrician-gynaecologist was available in Bantry meant that the number there was reduced. I would ask him to recognise the humanitarian problem in Bantry and to treat the matter as being extremely urgent.
I will have to look carefully at it. I would point out that of the 823 births assigned to the Bantry catchment area 269 went to Erinville in Cork and another 130 went to the Bon Secours. From Clonakilty alone 102 went to Erinville. Apart from Bantry and Dundalk, which we debated yesterday ——
"Debated" is right. A short final supplementary from Deputy Sheehan.
Will the Minister not agree that the reason the maternity unit at Bantry hospital was not utilised to the full was that an obstetrician-gynaecologist was not placed in that hospital? Why was it that the Southern Health Board did not make application to the Minister for Health until the evening they closed the maternity ward in Bantry? Will the Minister consider asking the Southern Health Board to reopen the maternity unit in a temporary capacity pending the result of the inquiry?
One has to appreciate that as far back as 1972 the Department of Health refused to give approval for the appointment of a consultant obstetrician-gynaecologist in a permanent capacity in the area. Comhairle na nOspidéal, of which Deputy Ormonde was a member, also refused to approve the creation of the post. One has to be very careful about taking policy decisions on this matter. I sympathise with the problem that has recently arisen. We are looking into the matter but I must bear in mind the views of the Comhairle and the Department.
Why did An Comhairle refuse to make application?
I am calling the next question. I am not going back over this matter. I know enough about west Cork to know that this could go on for a long time. I am calling Question No. 10.
This is a matter of life and death for the people in the area.
I have called the next question. I am asking Deputy Sheehan to resume his seat.
I am not an unreasonable person ——
That is a matter of opinion.
I am asking the Minister to consider asking the health board to reopen the maternity unit in a temporary capacity.
I have told the Deputy I am not going back on the question.
The Minister has not answered my question.
The Deputy must resume his seat. I have called Question No. 10.