Vol. 555 No. 2
278 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason, when Temple St. Hospital performed surgery on 68 infants per year for the past three years, the Comhairle na nOspidéal report of 1998 based its findings on only ten to 16 infants per year; and if he will oppose the downgrading of the hospital. [17954/02]
As the Deputy will be aware, Comhairle na nOspidéal is the statutory body set up under the Health Act, 1970, to regulate the appointment of consultant medical staff in hospitals, to specify the qualifications for such appointments, and to advise the Minister on the organisation of hospital services.
The future provision and extent of paediatric surgery services was reviewed in 1998 by a committee established by Comhairle. The committee was asked to consider this issue in the absence of agreement among the three paediatric hospitals on the nature and structure of a replacement consultant paediatric surgeon post which had arisen at Our Lady's Hospital in Crumlin.
Comhairle recommended the concentration of a very small number of specialist paediatric and neonatal surgical operations in Our Lady's Hospital, Crumlin, with all three paediatric hospitals continuing to provide non-specialist paediatric surgery and less complex urology services. I am advised by Comhairle that a very small percentage of the children undergoing paediatric surgical procedures at Temple St. would require access to the specialist surgical services under consideration. However, I am aware that concerns have been raised by Temple St. Hospital in relation to the proposed transfer of this work. In this regard I will be meeting with representatives from the hospital in the near future to discuss these concerns.
