Vol. 488 No. 2
27 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will approve an application for additional funding for the dialysis unit at Waterford Regional Hospital, which has nine people on its waiting list, to ensure that local patients can be catered for and not have to travel to Dublin for treatment. [5749/98]
The provision of renal dialysis at Waterford Regional Hospital is a matter for the South-Eastern Health Board in the first instance. A new dialysis unit was opened there in March 1997, catering for 32 patients per week as part of the major capital development at the hospital. Additional funding of £100,000 was subsequently provided in May 1997 to enable the hospital to provide a service to further patients that required dialysis as demand for the service grew. Total additional funding of £200,000 has been provided in this year's allocation to the South-Eastern Health Board to meet the full year cost of this enhanced service. As a result, a total of 42 patients are now attending the unit each week.
The board had requested additional funding towards the cost of further developing its renal dialysis service to meet a continuing increase in demand for the service. This will be considered by my Department in consultation with the South-Eastern Health Board in the context of the board's own identified priorities for service developments and the overall availability of resources in 1999.
