Liam Burke
Question:27 Mr. L. Burke asked the Minister for Health the action, if any, he proposes to take following a decision by consultant orthopaedic surgeons in St. Mary's Hospital, Cork, not to carry out further operations there.
Written Answers. - St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital, Cork.
Michael Lowry
Question:75 Mr. Lowry asked the Minister for Health the action he proposes to take following a decision by consultant orthopaedic surgeons in St. Mary's Hospital, Cork, not to carry out further operations there.
Bernard Allen
Question:98 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health if he will make a statement on the closure of the operating theatres in St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital, Cork, and the cessation of hip operations.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 27, 75 and 98 together.
As the Deputies will be aware, approval was given to the Southern Health Board by my Department to provide new clean air theatre facilities at St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital, Gurranebraher, at a cost of nearly £1 million. Work on the project commenced recently.
The contract period of the project is 40 weeks and I understand that the contract was structured in order to facilitate the continued functioning of the theatres for all but four to six weeks of the contract period. Representatives of the consultant medical staff were included in the project team which planned the development over many months.
In early October 1993 the consultant orthopaedic surgeons indicated to the hospital management team that, in their opinion, the theatres in St. Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital would have to close following the commencement of building work due to the increased risk of infection which would ensue. A report on the theatre complex by the consultant microbiologist was subsequently commissioned and on the basis of the findings, the surgeons took a clinical decision to cease operating.
The microbiologist's report indicated, however, that the elevated bacterial counts in the theatres complex were due to the inability of the ventilation to handle organisms shed by personnel, rather than contamination from the building site or related building activities.
The Southern Health Board is in the process of installing a temporary ventilation system in the theatres. It is expected that this work will be completed this week after which the theatres will be tested again for bacterial levels. The board has assured me that every effort has been, and will continue to be made to find a resolution to this problem at the earliest possible date.
With regard to orthopaedic services generally in Cork, the Deputies will be pleased to note that in August last I approved the filling of a fifth consultant orthopaedic surgeon post in Cork on a permanent basis. I am confident that this post together with the development of new clean air theatre facilities will substantially improve the service for orthopaedic patients in Cork.