I thank the Chair for giving me the opportunity to raise this matter on the Adjournment. I urge the Minister for Health and Children to approve an allocation of €3.2 million for the South-Eastern Health Board to permit the opening of the new surgical unit at St. Joseph's Hospital, Clonmel. I hope the Minister of State will be in a position to give us some good news in the matter, the background to which is the fact that acute surgical services in south Tipperary have been divided for many years between Our Lady's Hospital, Cashel, which provides surgical services and St. Joseph's Hospital, Clonmel, which has traditionally provided medical and maternity services. Many difficulties were encountered in the division of services. Even the best efforts of staff meant a less than adequate service was available to patients for many years.
Approximately ten years ago there was a decision and an agreement to amalgamate all of the acute surgical services on the campus at St. Joseph's Hospital. Following seven or eight frustrating years, the facilities for the transfer of the services were in place at the hospital and ready for occupation from 31 March 2003. The facilities available include an accident and emergency department, a CSSD unit, 39 surgical beds, three operating theatres, an intensive care unit, a day care unit, including a dedicated endoscopy suite, a cardiac rehabilitation unit, a CT unit, a medical ward, a coronary step-down unit, a medical assessment unit and a library and education centre. This development cost in the region of €25 million to €30 million. It has been a long drawn out process which has frustrated staff and patients alike in both hospitals and throughout County Tipperary.
The position is that while the facilities are available and ready for occupation, they remain empty due to the fact that the Department has not approved funding for their staffing. They have been available for occupation since March. The South-Eastern Health Board met staff and agreed staffing levels which have been pared to the bone. It has forwarded a request to the Department for a sum of €3.2 million to enable this development which is urgently needed to continue. The facilities for patients will be adequate and of an acceptable standard. The difficulties arising from a patient point of view, where surgical patients at Cashel with an underlying medical difficulty have to be transferred to Clonmel and medical patients at Clonmel with an underlying surgical difficulty have to be transferred to Cashel, will come to an end, as will the associated dangers for the health and lives of patients. This will happen only if the Department funds the development and the opening of these facilities.
Hospital staff were informed earlier in the year that the facilities would be opened at the end of March. They were later informed that they would open in June and then in September but all to no avail. I ask the Department to approve immediately the provision of funding to staff the facilities and allow them to open. This will have knock-on effects for the Cashel site in the sense that staff will be necessary for a significant development being undertaken there. I ask the Minister to approve the allocation of €3.2 million requested by the South-Eastern Health Board.
