Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 November 2005
103 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the measures she will take following the revelations by the OECD that Ireland is sixth from the bottom in the ratio of acute care beds to 1,000 population as it states that Ireland has only three beds per 1,000 population compared with 12.3 in Germany; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35466/05]
View answer193 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the measures she will take following the revelations by the OECD that Ireland is among the worst rates for hospital overcrowding in Europe; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35465/05]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 103 and 193 together.
The recently published OECD report, Health at a Glance 2005, stated that the number of acute care beds in Ireland in 2002 was three per 1,000 population and that the average occupancy rate for acute hospital beds was 84%. The average number of beds per 1,000 population in the OECD countries in 2002 was 4.2 and the average occupancy rate was 75%.
However, it should be noted that the OECD advises caution in the interpretation of the cross-country data provided in the report. Health care systems differ significantly across the range of OECD countries. The Irish data on the number of acute beds do not include acute beds located in private hospitals. Some other countries include acute beds in private hospitals and beds which may be used for long-term care.
The report points out that the number of acute hospital beds does not provide a comprehensive measure of capacity — for example, it does not capture the capacity of hospitals to provide services on a day basis. Day activity is now a significant component of hospital-based care. There has been a rapid movement in the last few years towards day case work where a variety of routine and complex treatments, surgery and diagnostic tests can now be performed with the patient being admitted and discharged from hospital on the same day. Evidence shows that much of the growth is the result of technological and medical innovations, such as less invasive surgery and advances in anaesthetics.
An Agreed Programme for Government includes a commitment to expand public hospital beds in line with the health strategy commitment to increase total acute hospital bed capacity by 3,000 by 2011. Substantial investment in additional bed capacity in acute hospitals has already taken place. Funding has been provided to open an additional 900 inpatient beds-day places in public acute hospitals throughout the country. The Health Service Executive has informed my Department that as of 14 October 2005, 806 of these beds-day places were in place and the remaining 94 beds-day places will come on stream over the coming months.
In addition, a further 450 acute beds-day places are in various stages of planning and development under the capital investment framework 2005-09. The recently published Estimates for the health services in 2006 includes provision for €60 million revenue funding to open new beds and treatment facilities throughout the country.
I announced in July this year an initiative which will provide up to 1,000 additional beds for public patients in public hospitals over the next five years. The HSE has been asked to develop an implementation plan and to prioritise proposals with reference to the public hospitals' requirement for additional bed capacity. My Department, in conjunction with the HSE, intends to review public capacity requirements in the acute hospital sector in the light of developments since the health strategy was published and the progress of the initiative I announced in July.
This Government has provided additional capacity and has plans in place to deliver an additional 2,350 inpatient beds-day places over the period of the health strategy. We will continue to advance proposals to increase capacity in the acute hospital sector to cater for the needs of the population.
