Written Answers. - Hospital Services.
Pat Rabbitte
Question:
16
Mr. Rabbitte
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
if it is intended to implement the recommendations of the Bonner report on Monaghan Hospital, particularly in regard to the establishment of a midwife-led obstetrics service; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[22532/03]
Seymour Crawford
Question:
43
Mr. Crawford
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
the position regarding the implementation of the Bonner Report on Monaghan General Hospital; his plans to intervene to have this hospital brought back on call; his views on the fact that routine operations that have been carried out abroad under the special purchase scheme at great cost to the State could easily have been carried out in Monaghan General Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[22493/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 43 together.
On 25 July, 2003 I published the report of Mr. Kevin Bonner in relation to Monaghan General Hospital.
I indicated at that time my acceptance of the main recommendation of the report that Monaghan General Hospital should continue to play a vital role in the delivery of acute hospital services to the local community within the Cavan-Monaghan hospital group. I have also accepted that additional services can be developed at the hospital to the benefit of the local community. In particular, I welcomed the proposals in the report aimed at strengthening the management capacity of the hospital within the Cavan-Monaghan group. The central involvement of consultant staff within this new structure is a very significant development which should enhance the ability of the group to deliver high quality services.
Mr. Bonner has recognised in his report that the pattern of acute hospital service delivery is changing world-wide and that Monaghan Hospital's best guarantee for the future is to participate in and accept those changes which will ensure its future viability. In this context, the report's recommendations in relation to the range and configuration of acute services, including maternity services, to be delivered within the Cavan-Monaghan hospital group are appropriate for consideration by the North-Eastern Health Board.
The forthcoming national task force on medical staffing, Hanly, report will further inform decisions in this regard. The task force was asked to make recommendations about how to best organise hospital medical staffing within the hospital system, having regard to the requirement of the European working time directive to reduce the average weekly working hours of non-consultant hospital doctors and the recommendations of the forum on medical manpower. The report of the task force on medical staffing will be published shortly.
In accordance with the recommendations in the Bonner report, I am making additional capital funding available to the North-Eastern Health Board under the national development plan. In this context the board has been asked to identify urgent capital needs at Monaghan General Hospital in areas such as equipment replacement, refurbishment, fire precaution and other health and safety measures.
With regard to the national treatment purchase fund, NTPF, it purchases procedures for public patients from private hospitals in Ireland, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. The fund may also make use of any capacity within public hospitals to arrange treatment for patients. Where it is not possible to treat patients within a reasonable period in Ireland, either in public or private hospitals, arrangements can be made by the NTPF to refer public patents for treatment abroad, having regard to quality, availability and cost. This is always subject to the patient's prior agreement and is done in co-operation with the patient's consultant and/or general practitioner.
In relation to costings, the fund has not released individual procedure prices on the grounds of commercial sensitivity and on the basis that it would disadvantage the taxpayer. I am advised by the fund that the prices it pays compare favourably with the prices recouped by private insurers.
