Vol. 534 No. 1
39 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps which are being taken to deal with the problems of hospital waiting lists in the Dublin area, particularly having regard to a recent statement from the Irish Hospitals Consultants' Association that hospitals in the capital were coming closer to running an emergency service only; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9989/01]
The hospital in-patient waiting list figure for the Eastern Regional Health Authority has reduced by 2,955 or 15% over the period December 1999 to December 2000. The total figure for the region at 31 December 2000, the latest date for which figures are available, stood at 16,406. All of the Dublin hospitals showed reductions in numbers waiting for the period December 1999 to December 2000.
A sum of £8.5 million has been made available to the Eastern Regional Health Authority under the waiting list initiative and a further £4.5 million has also been made available to the authority under the cardiac services waiting list initiative for 2001. I understand the ERHA has commissioned a number of hospitals to carry out 5,000 procedures under phase 1 of the waiting list initiative 2001, in addition to their core baseline activity.
With regard to the source of admissions to hospitals, figures provided to me by the ERHA show that accident and emergency admissions account for 57% of total admissions to all hospitals in the region; however in the case of the nine hospitals which provide accident and emergency services, 70% of admissions are through the accident and emergency departments.
Overall hospital waiting list figures have gone down by almost a quarter since December 1999 and it is my intention to pursue continual reductions in waiting lists and waiting times for hospital treatment in 2001. Dedicated funding for waiting list procedures of £34 million was allocated in 2000 to health agencies to enable hospitals to carry out waiting list procedures and I am pleased to inform the Deputy that £34.5 million has been indicated to health agencies under the waiting list initiative for 2001.
My concern is with the situation in the Dublin area. Would the Minister accept that the progress which has been made in reducing the waiting lists in the big Dublin hospitals has been very disappointing? He made the point about the number of admissions which are made through accident and emergency departments. Clearly there are very severe pressures on the accident and emergency departments with a resulting high demand for beds and the cancellation of elective procedures.
I want to ask the Minister's views on a few different proposals or suggestions which have been made by various people in the health services. What are his views on the adequacy of the number of acute beds in the Dublin region? What are his views on the ERHA's proposal to establish within the Dublin region a hospital which would conduct elective operations only and which would not have an accident and emergency department? What steps is he prepared to take to deal with the disincentives to gaining employment which exist in the Dublin area at present, where obviously working outside of the Dublin area is a far more attractive proposition given the lower house prices and other costs?
I am satisfied there is an inadequate number of beds in the Dublin region.
Could the Minister quantify that?
Please allow the Minister to conclude.
Under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness last year there was a recommendation that we undertake a substantial fundamental review of the bed capacity throughout the country, including the ERHA. We have undertaken that and in Phase 1 we provided funding in this year's Estimates to provide for additional capacity, both in the ERHA region and throughout the country.
The second phase, which was the more detailed targeted speciality by speciality look at bed numbers, will come to me within the next two to three weeks. That will form the basis for action to improve the situation regarding bed capacity in the Dublin area.
The Deputy mentioned the possibility of a proposal coming on stream regarding a hospital which would conduct elective operations only. That will receive some consideration from me. I have already received attractive proposals from Cappagh Hospital, for example, regarding centralising all orthopaedic elective procedures within its centre.
The issue of incentives in the Dublin area form part of the wider partnership process and can only be looked at in the context of the PPF.
There is a shortage of 1,800 hospital nurses which gives rise to many of the problems with the waiting lists. Is the Minister aware that 1,200 of these are in the Dublin area? If the Minister had appointed people from Dublin to the boards, he might actually have done something about it.
The chief executive of the ERHA is a Cork man who has been living in Dublin for many years. We have made significant inroads in nursing recruitment in the Dublin area. Recently I was in Beaumont Hospital. Its full complement has been restored and the wards are open again.
They are Filipinos. It is a short-term measure.
With respect, the Filipinos are not a short-term measure. They have a very useful and effective contribution to make.
It will be a short-term measure if their accommodation is not addressed.
This has become a multi-cultural society and we should be aware of that.
Written Answers follow Adjournment Debate.
