Limerick East): The Deputy will be aware that I made an announcement on 15 April 1997 that the Government has agreed to the transfer of ownership of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, to the North-Eastern Health Board for a consideration of £5.5 million. Negotiations between the Congregation of the Medical Missionaries of Mary and the North-Eastern Health Board, on the basis for the transfer of ownership, have been ongoing since November 1996 and were successfully concluded recently. The Government decision to authorise the transfer of ownership will enable the parties to complete the transfer, which is expected to be finalised by the end of May 1997.
On the question of funding and service planning issues, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, in common with all other agencies, was notified by the Department in December 1996 of the requirement to produce a service plan within budget for 1997.
Following a tripartite meeting yesterday involving the Department of Health, the North-Eastern Health board and the IMTH, Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda, a formal collaborative working relationship has now been established between the hospital and the health board in order to address the issues relating to the hospital's service plan for 1997. The hospital and the health board have set to work immediately to agree a service plan within allocation, in line with the requirements of the Department's letter of determination. Furthermore, they have given assurances to the public that a high quality, comprehensive service will continue to be provided and that the challenges currently facing the hospital will be overcome. The health board has reiterated its guarantees that all staff contracts will be honoured. I have been advised that there is active consultation between the health board and staff and staff representatives to address any concerns they may have in this regard.
The hospital and the North-Eastern Health Board share a mutual concern for the achievement of excellence in the delivery of health services and have been working over the past four years to develop an integrated service for the Louth-Meath region. The first step in this process was the establishment, in 1993, of the Louth-Meath hospital group, comprising the three hospitals in the region, located at Navan, Dundalk and Drogheda.
The transfer of ownership of the hospital to the health board offers a unique opportunity to consolidate the partnership which has existed for many years between the two health agencies. The consolidation of the Louth-Meath hospital group under unified management will serve to enhance the status of each of the participating hospitals, as well as delivering a high quality service to the people of the region.
