asked the Minister for Health the total number of laboratories in the Dublin area; and whether there is any scope for rationalisation of same.
Written Answers. - Dublin Laboratories.
193.
All major hospitals in Dublin have large consultant staffed laboratories. Other hospitals provide a limited laboratory service doing routine tests, the remainder of the tests being done by one of the larger hospitals with which they have developed links. A considerable amount of preliminary work has already been done in reviewing the organisation of our laboratory services. We are looking at the usage of laboratory services, the number of major laboratories that are appropriate, given our geography and modern means of communication, the work arrangements in laboratories, and the initiatives which can be taken to improve productivity and accuracy. The results of this review will begin to bear fruit in the coming year.