I dtús báire ba mhaith liom a rá nach bhfuil sé i gceist agam aon duine atá ag obair san ospidéal a cháineadh. Tá foireann an-mhaith san ospidéal céanna, idir an lucht bainistíochta, na banaltraí agus na dochtúirí. Tá na daoine sin ar fad thar barr. Le cúpla bliain anuas bhí orm mo pháistí féin a thabhairt go dtí an t-ospidéal níos mó ná uair amháin, ar fáth amháin nó ar fáth eile.
Our Lady's Hospital, Crumlin, is totally outdated. Through their heroic efforts the staff have managed to keep the hospital going. They have endured conditions that hospital staff in other countries would not endure. This is because they have the interests of the children at heart.
The hospital was built in 1958. In recent years there were some additions and good improvements by various Governments. However, the site no longer serves its purpose, which is to provide care for children. I am not just raising this issue because the hospital is in my constituency but because it is a national hospital dealing with many children from every county. It is the cancer centre for children from the 32 counties of Ireland. It needs to set a standard on a worldwide basis, especially considering that we have a young population.
Since the hospital was built there has been huge growth in the number of operations, yet it has not expanded to cope with this. There was a 539% increase in admission numbers between 1958 and 2002. A similar percentage applies to operations and causalities. An increase of 790% pertains to outpatients.
Anybody who has had children in the hospital will know that there are virtually no facilities for parents who have to stay over. They have to sleep on a mattress next to the bed or in a chair, if they are lucky. That is not good enough.
The report lists exactly where standards are falling in the hospital. I could open any page to indicate how substandard it is in comparison with hospitals in other countries. There is a lack of basic facilities. There are no play areas or baby changing rooms in the accident and emergency unit. Another list applies to Holy Angel's Day Centre. The hospital has fallen below international standards in every respect, which is not good enough.
Dr. Pollock, who produced the report, said the hospital was totally unsuitable for the provision of medical care for children. The Minister, in response to the report, said major redevelopment was planned but that is news to the parents who bring children to the hospital, the staff and managers. What is planned is the building of two small, additional units.
The Government has authorised an MRI scanner for the hospital but forgot to authorise the building of a room in which to place it. Until that is done, those requiring a scan will have to be brought by taxi or ambulance to other hospitals in Dublin. They will have to be accompanied by a nurse and, frequently, an anaesthetist. Having no anaesthetist in the hospital leads to emergencies like those that happened in hospitals outside Dublin.
I hope the Minister will take heed of this report and make sure the planned demolition and rebuilding of a new hospital on the Crumlin site happens in months rather than years in order that we will have the best facilities in the world for sick children.
