Vol. 486 No. 3
172 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health and Children the total number of public hospital beds in the system; the breakdown of public and private hospital beds for each health board area; and the breakdown of public and private hospital beds per head of population and the comparitive figure for other EU states. [2425/98]
At present there is a total of 12,499 designated beds in acute public hospitals. This figure is made up of of 9,190 public beds, 2,541 private/semi-private beds and 768 non-designated beds. Using population figures from the 1996 Census, there are 2.5 public beds and 0.7 private/semi-private beds in acute public hospitals per 1,000 of population. Private hospital bed numbers are not collected by my Department.
Because of the differences in the structure and delivery of health services in EU countries and consequent difference in definitions and interpretation of statistics in this area, it is not possible to provide accurate comparative figures for beds per 1,000 of population. In addition, in looking at acute hospital service delivery I feel it is inappropriate to focus solely on bed numbers as a measure of hospital resources. In recent years, more emphasis has been placed on overall levels of service provided in acute hospitals rather than on the provision of a specific number of beds. This is a reflection of the major changes in medical practice which have resulted in a reduction in the length of stay for in-patient care, the marked shift towards day case surgery and treatment of patients at out-patient level.
The following table sets out in detail the breakdown of beds in each health board area:
|
Health Board |
Public |
Private/ Semi-private |
Non-designated |
Total |
|
Eastern |
3,796 |
929 |
373 |
5,098 |
|
Midland |
406 |
84 |
15 |
505 |
|
Mid-Western |
548 |
269 |
59 |
876 |
|
North-Eastern |
756 |
223 |
54 |
1,033 |
|
North-Western |
527 |
147 |
44 |
718 |
|
South-Eastern |
863 |
230 |
43 |
1,136 |
|
Southern |
1,292 |
393 |
128 |
1,813 |
|
Western |
1,002 |
226 |
52 |
1,320 |
|
Total |
9,190 |
2,541 |
768 |
12,499 |
