Batt O'Keeffe
Question:69 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health his policy pertaining to the provisional centralised maternity services in the Cork area. [1840/95]
Written Answers. - Centralised Maternity Services.
Limerick East): Maternity services in the Cork area are provided at the following sites:—
Cork University Hospital,
Erinville Hospital,
St. Finbarr's Hospital,
South Infirmary/Victoria Hospital.
Since the 1980s there has been an ongoing debate in relation to the centralisation of maternity services in the Cork area but to date there has been no agreement among the hospitals involved on this issue.
The Southern Health Board adopted a proposal in April 1993 to have the maternity services presently sited at the Erinville and St. Finbarr's Hospitals amalgamated at the Cork University Hospital site. This proposal will have to be examined in the context of the recommendations on manpower planning and organisational structures contained in the recent Comhairle na n-Ospidéal report "Review of Consultant Manpower in the Southern Health Board area".
The Deputy will also appreciate that the Health Board's proposal would require major capital investment over a number of years and would have to be considered in the context of the resources available to my Department and competing capital priorities.