Responsibility for the provision of health services to persons living in County Kilkenny rests with the South Eastern Health Board. My Department has therefore asked the chief executive officer of the board to investigate the specific case referred to by the Deputy and to reply to him directly.
I am aware that the location of certain specialties and the structure of consultant paediatric surgery posts has led to disagreement between the three children's hospitals in Dublin. In the absence of agreement on the structuring of a post, as recommended by Comhairle na nOspidéal in its report, Review of Paediatric Surgery Services, the approved permanent shared post has been filled by a general paediatric surgeon under temporary renewable contract. I am informed that elective specialist urology surgery has been suspended pending the resolution of this issue.
I have recently written to Comhairle na nOspidéal and the Eastern Regional Health Authority with suggested minor modifications to the recommendations of An Chomhairle in relation to the structure and sessional commitments attaching to the specialist paediatric surgery posts in the three hospitals with a view to resolving the current impasse.
I am hopeful that these modifications will lead to a resolution of the current disagreement in the interest of improved service delivery and enhanced patient care. In the interim the Eastern Regional Health Authority will seek to ensure that all of those requiring surgery will have their needs met speedily.
