Vol. 442 No. 8
97 Ms O'Donnell asked the Minister for Health the reason there has been a delay in providing funding for the necessary equipment for a new orthopaedic theatre in a hospital (details supplied) in County Offaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Approval was granted in 1992 for the construction of two new operating theatres at Tullamore General Hospital. Provision was made for the equipping of one of the theatres initially.
There are no funds available within my Department's capital budget for 1994 which would enable the second new operating theatre to be equipped. This matter will be considered as sympathetically as possible in the context of the 1995 health capital programme, having regard to the Midland Health Board's priorites for capital development and the many projects competing for capital funding within the health services as a whole.
