Vol. 541 No. 4
299 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children if he plans to reduce the number of all surgical paediatric posts by half; and if he has had a communication from the Children's Hospital, Temple Street, Dublin 7, on this matter. [22873/01]
Comhairle na nOspidéal produced a review of paediatric surgery services in 1998 which recommended the location of certain specialties and the structure of consultant paediatric surgery posts in the three Dublin paediatric hospitals. However, a disagreement at hospital level in relation to the recommendations has impacted on plans to further develop the level of surgical services for children.
My Department wrote to Comhairle na nOspidéal and the Eastern Regional Health Authority in recent months with suggested minor modifications to the recommendations in relation to the structure and sessional commitment attaching to specialist paediatric surgery posts in the three hospitals. The Eastern Regional Health Authority was asked to take the necessary steps, in conjunction with the hospitals concerned, to give effect to the notifications as a matter of urgency. The authority has been in discussion with the three hospitals with a view to resolving the matter. I understand that these discussions are at an advanced stage at present and the authority expects that agreement will be reached in the near future. I am hopeful that these modifications will lead to a resolution of the present difficulty in the interest of improved service delivery and enhanced patient care. Finally, I wish to confirm that I received a letter from the Children's Hospital, Temple Street, on this matter in recent months.
