I welcome the Minister of State to the House. There is a need for the Minister for Health and Children to state the policy on the future of neo-natal care in the Rotunda Hospital and Temple Street Hospital, and to indicate the timetable and budgetary provision for the redevelopment of Temple Street Hospital and the construction of a new neo-natal unit in the Rotunda Hospital.
The Rotunda Hospital has been waiting five or six years for a new neo-natal unit. The existing one is in very bad condition. It is overcrowded and damp and the walls are peeling. These are totally unsatisfactory conditions for anybody, never mind expectant mothers and babies. The Rotunda Hospital had hoped the upgrading of this facility would have taken place years ago. The original cost envisaged was £2.5 million but the estimate has nearly trebled in the time in which it has been waiting for approval.
While the Eastern Regional Health Authority has recognised the need for the new unit and has approved of it, and the Minister for Health and Children has approved of it, unfortunately the funding has not been forthcoming. The Rotunda Hospital has made a substantial contribution and has increased that contribution in recent months. While the Department seems to think it is not getting value for money, the Minister of State must recognise that in the context of an inner city location and current tendering costs, the Department will not get any facility cheaply. The tendering in the marketplace is being conducted in the normal cost-effective way.
The Rotunda is the oldest maternity hospital in the world. Unless it is refurbished, it could lose its recognition as a training hospital for paediatrics. It is overcrowded. As well as requiring a new neonatal intensive care unit, bed accommodation needs to be upgraded. These facilities are part of one package. It is urgent that the problems of the Rotunda be addressed. It is recognised as one of the best paediatric training centres in the world.
With regard to Temple Street hospital, there has been an overall plan for its redevelopment and refurbishment on the transferred site of the Mater Hospital. It is still in very poor condition, as are its facilities. There was talk of the transfer of the paediatric service to Crumlin hospital on the south side of the city, which would have been totally unacceptable. The main problem is the foot dragging in terms of proceeding with the development. It seems to have been put on the long finger and there is no progress on the ground in terms of mixing mortar. People have no sense that the new hospital will arise from the inadequate old building, which was a residential type building with many outoffices and structures built over the years to provide for extra services.
It is felt on the north side of the city that neither the Rotunda nor Temple Street hospital is getting the attention it deserves. They are children's hospitals providing maternity care, neonatal care and child care. Will the Minister of State give a positive indication when funding will be forthcoming from her Department?