Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 3 Jul 1990

Vol. 400 No. 9

Written Answers. - Cork Hospitals Statistics.

Bernard Allen

Question:

202 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health the number of persons admitted to hospitals in Cork during the months of November and December 1989 and January 1990; the number of beds which were available for admission of patients for scheduled but non-emergency medical procedures and surgical procedures during this time; and the number of beds which were used for emergency admission on a hospital by hospital basis (a) during the period outlined above and (b) for the same period in 1988-1989.

Minister for Health (Dr. O'Hanlon)

Beds in the general hospitals in Cork are used on a flexible basis for scheduled and non-scheduled admissions as required. Most hospitals do not have dedicated elective beds and are not therefore in a position to give a specific breakdown of emergency and non-emergency beds. However, details of the percentage of total admissions which were emergency or elective for the three months in question were obtained from the hospitals and are given beneath. These were also forwarded to the Deputy by letter of 24 April 1990 as promised in response to his parliamentary question No. 187 of 6 March 1990 in this connection. The tabular statement also shows the maximum bed complement for each hospital during the period in question as compared to the bed complement for the same period in 1988/1989. The Deputy will note that additional beds were available during part of the 1989/1990 period to meet the demands of the flu epidemic.

Information on Admissions and Beds Available in Acute Hospitals in Cork, Certain Months 1988-89 and 1989-90

	Cork Regional	Mallow	Bantry	Mercy	South Infirmary/ Victoria
Admissions
Nov. — Jan. (1989/90)	6,758	845	738	3,931	2,018
% of admissions described as non-emergency	47	61	33	62	72
% of admissions described as emergency	53	39	67	38	28
Maximum beds available
Nov. — Jan. (1989/90)	609	75	75	254	181
Maximum beds available
Nov. — Jan. (1988/89)	568	52	88	254	175