Vol. 469 No. 3
55 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the number of patients from counties Donegal and Leitrim who have been refused treatment or who have not been accepted when referred to hospitals in Dublin since the beginning of 1996 due to a policy of dealing only with patients within their catchment area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17430/96]
Limerick East): The approach in the health strategy, Shaping a Healthier Future, to the development of acute services is focused on developing regional self-sufficiency in acute hospital services. Additional funding has been allocated to health boards in recent times to widen the range of services provided on a regional basis to improve access to specialist services. The development of such improved services at a regional level reduces the need for patients to seek treatment outside their local health board area. In certain cases it is not feasible to provide particular services on a regional basis, due to the high degree of specialisation and size of patient population required to sustain a viable service, and in such cases, specialised supra-regional units provide specialist services which serve much wider catchment areas and concentrate resources nationally to the best effect.
