Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 2 Jun 1999

Vol. 505 No. 7

Written Answers. - Hospital Services.

Richard Bruton

Question:

77 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the shortage of dialysis machines in Beaumont Hospital which is resulting in patients being requested to attend at very anti-social hours; and the plans, if any, he has to resolve the situation. [14714/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

Beaumont Hospital is the national renal transplantation centre. It also provides renal dialysis services for chronic dialysis patients within its catchment area and it also receives acute referrals from around the country. I have been advised that the service is operated on 24 hour basis from 16 stations within the hospitals and 155 haemodialysis patients and 63 peritoneal dialysis patients are treated on an annual basis.

This year, in recognition of significant growth in demand for renal dialysis services, I was pleased to be in a position to approve funds of the order of £1 million as part of Beaumont and the Mater Hospital's letters of determination to meet existing service demands for patients in north Dublin.

Over the past year or so, the Mater Hospital has also developed a renal dialysis service for patients in the north Dublin area. My Department is very anxious that the two hospitals would work in close collaboration in the delivery of this service. Following discussions with the two hospitals during 1998, the North Dublin Nephrology network was established. Its aim is to provide a framework for co-operation between the two hospitals in the planning and delivery of the service to ensure a co-ordinated approach to service provision.

Officials in my Department are in discussion with Beaumont Hospital authorities regarding the future development of their service. In tandem with these discussions, my Department is currently reviewing dialysis service requirements at national level having regard to demographic and epidemiological trends. My Department's overall objective is to ensure that there is improved access for all renal dialysis patients.