Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 11 Apr 2000

Vol. 517 No. 6

Written Answers. - Hospital Services.

Paul McGrath

Question:

272 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the hospitals where dialysis is available; the numbers using this in each of these centres; the number of people in the Midland Health Board area who travel for dialysis on a regular basis; and his views on the need to establish such a unit in the midlands area in view of the long distance and journey time for patients travelling from that area for treatment. [10668/00]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin):

A list of dialysis centres, together with the number of patients receiving haemodialysis at each one, according to the latest information collected by my Department, is set out in the following table:

Dialysis Centre	Number of Patients(at July 1999)
Beaumont Hospital	175
St Vincent's Hospital	20
Limerick Regional Hospital	30
Cork University Hospital	63
Tralee General Hospital	16
Mater Hospital	40
AMANCH, Tallaght	45
Mayo General Hospital	14
University College Hospital Galway	46
Letterkenny General Hospital	22
Sligo General Hospital	16
Cavan General Hospital	25
Waterford Regional Hospital	42

There are 30 people from the Midland Health Board region travelling outside the board area for dialysis each week. The brief for the major development at Tullamore General Hospital includes a dialysis unit for the Midland Health Board region. Enabling works for this development are scheduled to commence this summer.