I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment. I regret the Minister is not present, although the Minister of State is in the House. There has been a need for a kidney dialysis unit for Mayo General Hospital for a number of years. I do not wish to deride the Minister, there is pressure on his Department which has a limited budget and a great number of demands on the Minister's time and on the allocation of funds. In October last the former Minister for Justice indicated that there was provision in the 1993 Estimates for the go-ahead in respect of the kidney dialysis unit for Mayo General Hospital. The Minister for Health, Deputy Howlin, subsequently confirmed this. Following further discussions with the Department of Finance this allocation was removed from the 1993 finances. This project has the backing of all public representatives, the population and practically every organisation in the county.
The Mayo Kidney Dialysis Unit Trust, a reputable body, has raised £150,000 by way of voluntary contributions; £60,000 of this sum was raised by the gardaí through a variety of efforts and further contributions were made by individuals in various organisations. This money is at the disposal of the Minister to use as he wishes to subsidise an allocation from his Department for the provision of the unit. A section of the intensive care unit in Castlebar General Hospital has been set aside for this unit and it has the full backing of the Western Health Board. The board needs a specific allocation each year rather than an allocation that is part of a general grant to the Western Health Board. At present there are 12 patients from County Mayo making return journeys several times a week to Galway and, while they are happy to do that, it involves round trips of over 200 miles in some cases. If taxi fares were involved the cost of those journeys could amount to £100,000, there would be great savings to the Department if the facility was set up in Castlebar. In the 1991 pre-budget submission from the Western Health Board it calculated it would cost £200,000 a year to provide this service. That figure takes into account the cost of employing staff; one sister £15,000, six nurses £78,000, two domestics £18,000, one registrar £11,000 and one technician £18,000. Those figures are excessive and there would be savings to the Department and the health board, particularly in the transport area.
I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter. As I said, it has the backing of the six Deputies from County Mayo, the population and all organisations in County Mayo. I hope when the Minister opens phase one of the Castlebar General Hospital he will agree to meet a deputation to give formal approval from his Department for this much needed facility.
