Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 May 2021
804. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Health the measures he is taking to ensure that the new national maternity hospital to be built at St. Vincent's Hospital, Elm Park will comply with the Sláintecare objectives of removing private medical care from public hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24182/21]
View answerThe current Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, contains specific commitments in relation to finalising the new Sláintecare consultant contract and legislating for public-only work in public hospitals. In that regard, Government has agreed to the introduction of a public only Sláintecare Consultant contract moving towards removing private care from public hospitals.
In line with these commitments, I can assure the Deputy that the vast majority of services in the new National Maternity Hospital will be public services. I can also confirm that there will be no designated private in-patient bedrooms included as part of the new hospital development.
However, as part of the National Consultants' Contract, negotiated in 2008, some consultants holding specific contracts are entitled to engage in private outpatient practice outside of their public commitment; this commitment must be conducted on site, in the hospital where the consultant holds his/her contract.
As a result, private outpatient clinics may be undertaken on a public hospital campus, however, these clinics must be held outside contracted hours. The new hospital will have 31 rooms for Out-Patient Services. In order to support the commitment in the Consultants’ contracts, five of the 31 consulting rooms will be for private use.
