Vol. 497 No. 1
68 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason for the delay in linking up testing facilities in the Eastern Health Board's psychiatric clinic in Eccles Street, Dublin 7, with the computer system in the laboratory department of the Mater Hospital, Dublin 7; if his attention has been drawn to the problems in getting blood test printouts which this has caused; and the steps, if any, he will take to expedite this matter. [24303/98]
The day hospital for psychiatry of old age services, area 7, transferred from St. Vincent's Hospital, Fairview to the new facility at 61 Eccles St. in early 1998. Following this transfer, the Eastern Health Board pursued the computer link-up of this service with the Mater Hospital's laboratory department in order to expedite the ordering and reporting of blood tests. To date, this aspect of the service has been carried out manually and the computer link will greatly enhance this process.
