Vol. 449 No. 8
12 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the necessary funds to enable Phase 1 of the development plan for University College Hospital Galway to get under way in 1995 in view of the overcrowding at the hospital. [3052/95]
(Limerick East): I understood that the planning brief for interim works at University College Hospital Galway was approved at the project team meeting on 7 February last. The Western Health Board has subsequently sought formal approval from my Department to the planning brief together with a request for approval to the selection and appointment of a design team. This matter is under consideration in my Department at present.
This development is a priority for my Department and it is expected, subject to satisfactory progress, that the design team selected could have the final planning documentation completed towards the end of this year. It is my intention that funding will be allocated from the Capital Programme to meet the planning costs incurred in 1995.
Given that University College Hospital Galway is a regional hospital and that some patients come from outside the region, its workload has increased significantly. Will the Minister visit the hospital to see the conditions for himself and to meet members of the Western Health Board?
(Limerick East): University College Hospital Galway is an essential part of the health services not alone in Galway city but in the west. I intend to visit all health board areas in due course when I have dealt with other items on my agenda.
Will the Minister visit the hospital?
(Limerick East): I will visit Galway and if I am invited to visit the hospital I will do so. I am delighted the Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Health is getting such help from Deputy Kitt and Senator Fahey who recently raised this issue in the Seanad.
I thank the Minister. As he is probably aware, we are a formidable team. Even though it is a regional hospital and is the main acute and teaching hospital in the region, the sad fact is that it is catering mainly for emergency cases. Will the Minister ensure that the contract is placed so that work can begin before the end of the year and is not further delayed? This is the main concern of the people in the area.
(Limerick East): A joint working party consisting of representatives of the Department of Health and the Western Health Board was set up. The proposals made by the working party were approved in principle in August 1994 when Deputy Geoghegan-Quinn was in Government. These proposals have been examined and clarified by the University College Hospital Galway project team and a draft planning brief was prepared. The brief was agreed by the project team at a meeting on 7 February and the Western Health Board has sought formal ministerial approval for the selection and appointment of a design team for the project. This matter is under consideration and I promise the Deputy that there will be no delays.
Will the work start this year?
When my husband was recently hospitalised in University College Hospital in Galway I saw the difficult conditions under which the nursing and medical staff work, not to mention the difficult conditions for the patients. Will the Minister indicate when he will give formal ministerial approval to the Western Health Board? That would be a concrete indication to the board that the Minister and the Department are serious about phase 1 of the development going ahead as soon as possible.
(Limerick East): I appreciate the Deputy's interest and support which she, as Minister and Deputy, gave to the hospital over the years. She may be interested to know that the scope of the work envisaged will include extensions to existing departments. Ward accommodation will be improved by the provision of four 13 or 14 bed units. Two additional rooms and ancillary accommodation will be provided in the X-ray unit as well as two additional operating theatres with ancillary accommodation. Extension and alteration works, including the provision of observation beds, will be provided in the accident and emergency department.The Deputy can take it that all that is required to process this work is formal approval, informal approval has been given. It is my intention that funding will be allocated in the capital programme for 1995 and work can proceed as soon as the design team selected process the final documentation. I expect that to be completed before the end of the year.
I do not wish to be left out of the credits in regard to this matter; I have been making a case for this hospital for a long time. Will the plans for phase 1 be completed by the end of this year? Will funding be provided for the completion of that phase in this year's Estimates?
(Limerick East): That will depend on how fast the local project team work with the Department. The design should be finished by the end of this year and funding will be provided in the capital programme to commence the work. Once that happens the project is in a contractual position and I wish to inform Deputy McCormack, who has constantly pressed me on this issue since I took office, that once it is in that position the money required to complete it will be provided in 1996.
I thank the Minister for a speedy response.
