Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 October 2018
431. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Health the number of new acute beds he plans to open in 2019; the locations of those beds; the breakdown of those beds by type, for example, ICU, HDU, ward and rehab; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43644/18]
View answerImproving access to health care services is a key priority in 2019. In the first quarter of 2019, in the region of 80 additional beds will be brought on stream, including an additional 30-bed ward in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda, a 40-bed modular ward block in South Tipperary General Hospital and 4 high dependency beds in the Mater and Cork University Hospital respectively. In addition, the new ED planned for Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Drogheda is due to open early in 2019.
Furthermore, €10 million in funding is being made available in 2019 to enable additional acute beds to be opened for winter 2019/2020. This is the first step in the implementation of the Capacity Plan, which has identified over 600 acute beds to be phased in between 2018 and 2020. My Department is currently engaging with the HSE to finalise the details of this investment.
