Michael Ring
Question:198 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Health and Children the opening date for the orthopaedic unit in Mayo General Hospital, Castlebar, County Mayo. [18549/04]
View answerTuesday, 22 June 2004
Questions (205, 206)
Written answers
The provision of hospital services for people living in County Mayo is a matter for the Western Health Board. I understand that the board are planning to open the orthopaedic unit in September 2004 as was outlined to the Deputy in the Adjournment debate on 16 June 2004.
Olivia Mitchell
Question:199 Ms O. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason appropriate hospital based treatment is not available to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12; if funding for private treatment can be given; if his attention has been drawn to the gross lack of services for children with anorexia; and his plans for improving the situation. [18553/04]
View answerResponsibility for the provision of health services to persons residing in counties Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow rests with the Eastern Regional Health Authority. My Department has, therefore, asked the regional chief executive of the authority to investigate the matter raised by the Deputy and to reply to her directly.
The Deputy may wish to note that persons presenting with eating disorders are generally treated through the psychiatric services of their local health board. Outpatient psychiatric services are provided from a network of hospitals, health centres, day hospitals and day centres. Where in-patient treatment is deemed necessary, it is provided in the local acute psychiatric unit or hospital, beds being allocated on the basis of patient need at any particular time.
A tertiary referral service for eating disorders is available to public patients in St. Vincent's Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin, where three in-patient beds are designated for this purpose. A similar service is available privately at St. Patrick's Hospital, James's Street, Dublin, and at St. John of God Hospital, Stillorgan, County Dublin.
Later this year, the Working Group on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry will commence the preparation of a report on services for people with eating disorders and how they can best be developed in the short, medium and long term.
Question No. 200 answered with QuestionNo. 35.