There is grave disquiet and anxiety in the Mullingar area, and throughout counties Longford and Westmeath, concerning the future of Mullingar General Hospital. The recent announcement of the Minister of £50 million capital investment programme for Tullamore General Hospital is seen not only as political expediency but as a total rejection of the decisions of the Midland Health Board.
The minutes of the September 1997 meeting of the Midland Health Board state that the order of priorities, as previously agreed by members, were agreed once again. They are: the commissioning of phase 2A of Longford-Westmeath General Hospital; capital project, General Hospital, Tullamore – accident and emergency department, out patients department, day ward, new entrance and concourse; capital project, general hospital, Portlaoise – acute psychiatric unit, medical wards, catering department, and provision was made for the design to add a new paediatric unit to the general hospital at Portlaoise; and, phase 2B, Longford-Westmeath General Hospital, Mullingar.
It was agreed that the members would seek funding from the Minister for all the board's priorities but that the list would reflect the order of priority if that was requested by the Minister.
The recent announcement for Tullamore goes contrary to those minutes. The rejection of Mullingar General Hospital is particularly disturbing when we see a five storey block built at this hospital three years ago with four floors still unoccupied. The fitting out of these floors would provide much needed beds. Is the Minister aware that, even though there are 57 medical beds in this hospital, the bed occupancy over the winter averaged in the region of 90 beds per day? It peaked at 120 beds per day.
Is the Minister aware that Mullingar General Hospital has the highest output and best value for taxpayers money of all the hospitals in the Midland Health Board area? The Minister, by failing to sanction the additional capital funding for phase 2B of Mullingar General Hospital, is penalising the staff of the hospital and the people of Longford and Westmeath who rely on the hospital for services.
A new consultant surgeon is to take up his appointment shortly. Will there be adequate theatre facilities to ensure the maximum output from this new surgeon and all the other surgeons working at the hospital?
Contrast all this with the announcement of capital investment of £73 million for the Minister's own constituency of Laois-Offaly. The corresponding announcements for Longford and Westmeath amount to £2 million. That money is the proceeds of the sale of lands and buildings at St. Loman's in Mullingar.
I demand that the Minister set out the timetable for the completion of phase 2B of Mullingar General Hospital. The public of Longford and Westmeath are not prepared to wait for the provision of these much needed additional beds.