asked the Minister for Health when approval was given by his Department to the Western Health Board for the purchase of a CAT Scanner; the cost of the scanner including the required conversion work on buildings; the date on which the equipment was installed in the regional hospital in Galway; the date that the equipment was handed over to the board ready for use; and how soon he expects to be in a position to make the necessary funding available for the operation of this particular equipment.
Written Answers. - CAT Scanner.
574.
On 10 August 1981 my Department approved of the purchase of an Elscint CAT scanner. The total cost of the scanner was £608,000 inclusive of VAT. The Western Health Board decided that rather than build a new building for the CAT scanner they would provide a new accident and emergency department and accommodate the new CAT scanner in the existing Department. The total cost of this work was £78,000. The scanner was installed, commissioned and handed over to the Western Health Board on 1 April 1984.
The Western Health Board have requested seven staff at a cost of £72,100 for the scanner. They have been told on a number of occasions that I am not in a position to make funds available to meet the cost of staffing this service. The board have again been told that, if they regard this service as a top priority, they should redeploy staff to it from existing less essential services.