Vol. 395 No. 8
74 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the proposals he put to Deputy Tom Foxe in relation to hospitals in County Roscommon; whether extra money, staff or beds were promised for hospitals there; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
78 Mr. Connor asked the Minister for Health, in view of the fact that the Western Health Board have adopted their budget and have agreed their hospitals expenditure for 1990, when he intends to introduce the supplementary estimate to fund the 20 additional beds with all necessary back-up staff at Roscommon County Hospital and the improvements required to keep St. Patrick's Psychiatric Hospital, Castlerea, operational, as per the undertakings he gave outside Dáil Éireann to a Deputy on 7 February 1990.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 78 together. I am concerned to achieve improvements in the health services of County Roscommon as well as in other areas where problems arise and from time to time I have discussions on these matters with representatives of health boards and with Deputies.
So far as the situation in County Roscommon is concerned I refer the Deputies to two questions I answered in 1989 on the matter — Dáil Official Report of 19 July, columns 584 and 585; and 15 November columns 525 and 526. I have had discussions on the development of services in the area with a number of public representatives including Deputy Foxe and with the chairman and chief executive officer of the Western Health Board. I have arranged to expand services at Roscommon County Hospital, including the appointment of a physician in geriatric medicine, the provision of 20 additional beds with appropriate staffing and the opening of the acute psychiatric unit. The services in County Roscommon will be the subject of further discussions with the Western Health Board as will the necessity for additional funding for developments undertaken as part of my overall policy of improving services in all areas following the additional allocation made available in the Estimates and the budget for 1990.
