Vol. 568 No. 1
571 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to public concern regarding the withdrawal of blood testing at the National Maternity Hospital, Dublin 1, from women who are the clients of self-employed midwives; the health service entitlements of such women; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15713/03]
Services for eligible patients at the National Maternity Hospital are provided under an arrangement with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has therefore asked the regional chief executive of the authority to investigate the matter raised and to reply directly to the Deputy.
My Department is advised that the National Maternity Hospital has stopped taking referrals from independent midwives for blood tests to be carried out for women who have chosen home births I understand that the women involved are able to access the necessary tests in hospitals through their general practitioners under the maternity and infant care scheme.
The health board chief executive officers have recently established a domiciliary births group which will make recommendations on the long-term approach to this issue. This group's recommendations will inform the development of national policies, procedures and protocols necessary for home births.
572 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Eastern Regional Health Authority incurs estimated expenditure of ?174 million in providing hospital services for people from other health board areas; his views on whether this is unfair and militates against patients in the east accessing services within a reasonable timescale; his further views on whether this contributes to a situation whereby 67% of patients awaiting in-patient treatment and 50% of those awaiting day care procedures are from the east in spite of the fact that it has less than 40% of the population; the steps which he will take to deal with this urgent issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15714/03]
I am aware of a recent decision by the Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA, to prepare protocols in relation to the referral of patients from other health board areas for elective services in hospitals in the eastern region. I note that the ERHA intends to have discussions with the health boards and the acute providers in the region in relation to the development of such protocols.
Successive Governments have pursued a policy of regional self-sufficiency is relation to the provision of hospitals services in order to ensure that patients are in a better position to access services locally. The benefits of this policy are evident through a series of major infrastructural developments in hospitals around the country which has resulted in the availability of more services and new specialties on a regional basis.
However, for reasons of complexity, a number of specialised services are concentrated in the eastern region. The ERHA has acknowledged that the referral of patients from outside the region to avail of tertiary and super-regional services in the eastern region remains appropriate given the range and specialised nature of the services provided.
The analysis undertaken by the authority on this issue will inform the work which is currently being undertaken by my Department on the distribution of additional capacity on a regional basis in line with the Government's commitment to provide 3000 additional acute beds over the coming years.
